Endocan serum levels in patients with low- and high-grade meningiomas: does this biomarker have an indicative role?

Background Meningiomas are one of the most common tumors of the brain and central nervous system. The key role of endocan in predicting tumor growth and prognosis has been shown for several types of cancers; however, this role in meningiomas has not been evaluated. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between endocan serum levels with low- and high-grade meningiomas. Results The serum level of endocan in the group with meningiomas was 283.34 (242.09-358.70) pg/ml and in the control group was 250.29 (207.56-329.71) pg/ml respectively (P = 0.172). Afterwards, patients were divided into three different groups (grades I, II, and III) and compared to the control. The level of endocan in the group with grade I of meningioma showed no significant difference compared to control individuals (P = 0.86). When patients with grade II and grade III compared with the control group, endocan serum levels were statistically significant (P = 0.002, P < 0.001 respectively). Moreover, our findings showed that the different grades of meningiomas were statistically significant compared to each other (P < 0.001) regarding endocan serum levels, meaning that the higher the grade, the higher the endocan serum levels. Conclusion Our findings revealed that higher grades of meningioma had higher endocan serum levels, however, the role of endocan in pathogenesis or progression of this type of tumor requiring further exclusively assessment.