Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter Ablation Is Associated with TAG72 Protein

Despite the efficacy of catheter ablation in preventing recurrences of atrial fibrillation (AF), the reasons for its lack of success in some patients remain unknown. The aim of this study was to try to identify a new predictor of AF recurrence following catheter-based treatment. This prospective study enrolled a cohort of patients with AF. Based on the results of a one-year follow-up, patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (“vein-dependent” AF)—patients who achieved a successful outcome after 1–2 catheter ablation procedures—and Group 2 (“non-vein-dependent” AF)—patients with confirmed complete pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) or with an identified “non-vein-dependent” AF substrate. Blood samples were collected prior to the procedure and biobanked. Initial proteomic profiling of the serum using protein microarrays identified several candidate proteins, whose elevated levels were subsequently confirmed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This article presents data on one such protein—TAG72. A comparison of TAG72 levels (%OD normalized units) between Group 1 (“vein-dependent” AF) and Group 2 (“non-vein-dependent” AF) revealed a statistically significant increase in the latter group (128.9 [98.2; 284.4] vs. 84.3 [73.8; 92.1], p < 0.001). These data provide the first evidence implicating TAG72 in the pathogenesis of AF.