ELEVATED SIALYL-LEWIS X-I ANTIGEN LEVELS IN PLEURAL EFFUSIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CARCINOMATOUS PLEURITIS

The levels of sialyl Lewis X-i antigen (SLX), which is one of the canc er-associated carbohydrate antigens, were evaluated in 83 malignant an d 46 benign pleural effusions, SLX levels in pleural effusion due to l ung adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than those due to benign diseases (p<0.0001), lung cancer other than adenocarcinoma (p=0.0052), and adenocarcinoma originating from other organs (p=0.0492). Accordin g to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the optim al cut-off level in the discrimination between malignant and benign pl eural effusions was 92 U/ml, which gave a sensitivity of 57.1% and a s pecificity of 77.8 %. The cut-off level of pleural effusion in patient s with carcinomatous pleuritis might be higher than that of serum (38 U/ml).