Abstract
Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), ferritin, β2 microglubulin (β2MG), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), immunosupressive acidic protein (IAP), and sialic acid were measured in 96 bronchogenic carcinomas, 724 non-malignant pulmonary diseases and 132 healthy volunteers. The data were used to determine the specificity and sensitivity of these tumor markers, and the relationship with stage and cell types in malignant cases, and also the relation with age, smoking and sex in healthy volunteers. These samples were obtained at the time of initial presentation.
Only ferritin and IAP showed a high level in healthy men rather than women, and a clearcut relationship was observed between the Brinkman index and CEA contents in healthy volunteers.
The sensitivity of CEA, Ferritin, β2MG, TPA, IAP and sialic acid was 57.8, 36.6, 27.8, 55.1, 66.1 and 77% respectively. However, the specificity (true negativity in malignant cases) of each marker was 88.3, 80.4, 87.2, 80.3, 23.0, and 24.1%. Each marker showed relatively high levels in chronic inflammatory diseases, and in particular clinical application as a tumor marker was limited in IAP and sialic acid, but there was a clearcut relationship between these marker contents and CRP or erythrocyte sedimentation rate in inflammatory diseases.
A direct relationship was established between CEA, ferritin and TPA levels and the stages of disease. On the other hand, each of these markers showed a high level and high sensitivity in adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinomas.
Consequently, smoking and chronic pulmonary diseases seemed to be risk factors for lung cancer because of the relatively high sensitivity of each tumor marker. On the other hand, CEA, Ferritin and TPA were effective markers in detection, staging and evaluation of prognosis in lung cancer patients.
