SERUM MARKERS CASA, CEA, CYFRA-21-1, MSA, NSE, TPA AND TPS IN LUNG-CANCER

Serum CASA, CEA, CYFRA 21-1, NSE, MSA, TPA, and TPS were determined in patients with lung cancer (LC), benign lung disease (BL), and healthy control (HC) donors. Using predefined cutpoints, the cytokeratin-rela ted markers TPA, TPS, and CYFRA showed the highest sensitivity in non- small cell lung cancer (TPA 69%, TPS 63%, CYFRA 54%), while NSE gave t he highest sensitivity in small cell lung cancer (50%), indicating tha t these markers may be most appropriate in monitoring the course of di sease and the patients response to therapy. Receiver-operator analysis was performed to compare assays at the same specificity. At high spec ificities (greater than or equal to 95%), CYFRA was significantly bett er than all assays except CASA in the LC vs. HC and LC vs. non-infecti ous BL comparisons (p<0.05), while CEA was the only assay which was no t significantly different to CYFRA in the LC vs. BL comparison. CASA w as of particular value when used in combination with these markers, as the sensitivity was increased. In addition, pretreatment CASA was the best indicator of patient survival (one year survival of 83% for pati ents with CASA <5 units/ml and 10% for patients with CASA greater than or equal to 5 units/ml).