Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: April-June | Volume: 4 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 49-56
Evaluation of Diagnostic Utility of Serum Tumor Markers in Lung Cancer Patients at a North Indian Teaching Hospital
Shruti Singh1, Mrityunjaya Singh2, Usha Singh3, J. K. Mishra4
1Junior Resident, Dept of Pathology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
2Assistant Professor, Dept of Respiratory Medicine, School of Excellence in Pulmonary Medicine, NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur.
3Ex-Professor, Dept of Pathology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi. U.P.-221005.
4Professor, Dept of TB & Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, U.P.-221005.
ABSTRACT
Background: Accurate diagnosis of Lung cancer is solely dependent on biopsy and histopathology. Biopsy is invasive and often inconvenient due to issues like either site of lesion and accessibility or poor health condition of patient. Tumor markers have been used for evaluating patients response to treatment and for prognostic purpose. Their role as independent diagnostic tool has not been established and is an area of continued research.
Aim: This study aims evaluate the relationship between tumor markers and histological types of carcinoma lung, and to determine whether these tumor markers together are useful for histological diagnosis of carcinoma lung. Methods: In this study, serum levels of eight tumor markers CEA, CA-125, NSE, CYFRA 21-1, Chromogranin-A, CA 19-9, AFP and β-hCG were analyzed in 18 normal subjects and 55 patients with histologically proven lung cancer. Results: The serum level of CEA and CYFRA 21-1 were significantly higher in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) (P < 0.05), whereas the levels of NSE and Chromogranin-A were significantly higher in SCLC (P < 0.05). Among NSCLC, CEA was significantly elevated in 50% of adenocarcinoma cases. Conclusion: Combination of NSE, CYFRA 21-1, Chromogranin-A, and CEA can differentiate SCLC from NSCLC with high specificity in most patients with lung carcinoma, and NSCLC patients can be classified as adenocarcinoma or squamous carcinoma with limited sensitivity.
Key words: tumor markers, lung cancer.