Evaluating Lung Cancer with Tumor Markers: CEA, CA 19-9 and CA 125

Abstract

Aim: Lung cancer (LC) is a common and mortal malignancy. Tumor biomarkers are measurable biochemicals associated with cancer cells. Tumor markers cannot diagnose cancer; instead, they can be used as laboratory tests to support the diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the place of tumor markers in lung cancer histological types. Materials and Methods: The study included 121 stage IV lung cancer patients, 79% of whom were male, between the ages of 33-84, who were admitted to the chest diseases and thoracic surgery departments of our hospital. CEA, CA 19-9, CA 125 were studied with the immunoassay technique. Its effects on survival were investigated. LDH was analyzed for determination of tumor burden and transformation by enzymatic method. Patients were divided into groups according to the number of metastases and survival after diagnosis to evaluate clinical parameters in detail. Result: CEA in the adenocarcinoma type, CA 19-9 in the small cell subtype, CA 125 in the squamous type were significantly higher than the other histological subtypes (p = 0.037, p = 0.031, p = 0.021). CEA, CA 19-9, CA 125 values were significantly increased in patients with more than two metastases (p=0.047, p=0.039, p=0.028). When the tumor was divided into three groups as lt;3cm, 3-5cm, gt;5cm, CA 19-9 and CEA levels increased in proportion to tumor diameter, while CA 12-5 levels did not show a statistical relationship. Conclusion: CEA and CA 19-9 for adenocarcinoma type, CA 19-9 for small cell lung cancer and CA 125 for squamous cell type can help predict patients' prognosis.

Keywords

• kanser
• biyobelirteç
• tümör
• metastaz
• cancer
• biomarker
• tumor
• metastasis