Melanoma cell adhesion molecule as an emerging biomarker with prognostic significance in systolic heart failure

Background: Melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) is a marker of endothelial damage. MCAM diagnostic and prognostic value was assessed in chronic heart failure (CHF). Materials & methods: 130 CHF patients and 32 controls were included in the study. Telephone follow-up lasted one year. End points were: death from all causes, and hospitalization with CHF exacerbation. Results: MCAM was higher in patients than in controls (p = 0.01). Receiver operator curve analysis revealed that MCAM may serve as a predictor of death (area under the curve: 0.8404; p < 0.002). Patients with MCAM above 500 ng/ml had worse prognosis (p = 0.03). NT-proBNP and age were independent predictors of death in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The increased MCAM indicates endothelial damage in CHF and may serve as a marker of worse prognosis in these patients.