Significance of Serum Bombesin as a Tumor Marker for Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma
1985 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 123-126
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1985 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 123-126
Using a radioimmunoassay, we studied the significance of bombesin as a specific marker for small-cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL). Bombesin-like immunoreactivity (BLI) was detectable in serum4of15patients with SCCL (27%), but was undetectable in serum of all 15 healthy subjects. BLI was also detectable in 7 of 31 patients with non-SCCL tumors (23%) and 4 of 31 patients with other types of lung disease (13%). The present results indicate that bombesin is unlikely to be a specific marker for the early detection of SCCL though bombesin could be formed by SCCL and its metastasis, and might be released into the circulation.
