Do osteoprotegerin plasma concentrations correlate with severity of peripheral artery disease?
In patients with PAD, plasma OPG concentrations were significantly higher in subjects with ischemic ulcerations than in those without and were positively correlated with higher severity grade of disease, age and creatinine-values. Further studies are required to analyze the role of OPG as a diagnostic marker for severity of atherosclerotic disease and to assess a possible therapeutic potential as "vasculoprotegerin".
Oligometastatic NSCLC was diagnosed in a relevant proportion of patients; therefore, warranting prospective studies are recommended. Such studies are also needed to confirm the treatment-dependent survival differences observed in our patient population.