OBJECTIVE: To study which markers can be applied to monitor the presence of the bone metastases in primary lung cancer without bone lesion during the follow-up period. METHODS: Based on the criteria for inclusion, we screened and selected 10 cases of lung cancer with bone metastases, 10 cases of lung cancer without bone metastases and 10 healthy subjects. Then we measured their serum bone alkaline phosphatases (bALP) by chemiluminescence immunoassay, their serum beta-carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (sCTX) and their serum N-terminal midfragment osteoclacin (N-MID) by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay, and their serum total alkaline phosphatases (tALP) by flurorescence enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The individuality indices (II) of all biochemical markers were less than 0.6 in the healthy group and the primary lung cancer without bone metastases group. sCTX was the marker showing the highest critical difference (CD) in these groups, whereas N-MID was the marker displaying the lowest CD. Comparison on the means of these markers between the healthy group and the primary lung cancer without bone metastases group showed that P value for N-MID, tALP, bALP and sCTX was higher than 0.05. The means of these markers between the primary lung cancer without bone metastases group and the primary lung cancer with bone metastases group showed that the P value for N-MID was 0.08, and the P values for tALP, bALP and sCTX were less than 0.05. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of bALP and sCTX as a tool to follow up the lung cancer patients without bone metastases in order to monitor the presence or absence of bone metastases.
OBJECTIVE: To study which markers can be applied to monitor the presence of the bone metastases in primary lung cancer without bone lesion during the follow-up period. METHODS: Based on the criteria for inclusion, we screened and selected 10 cases of lung cancer with bone metastases, 10 cases of lung cancer without bone metastases and 10 healthy subjects. Then we measured their serum bone alkaline phosphatases (bALP) by chemiluminescence immunoassay, their serum beta-carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (sCTX) and their serum N-terminal midfragment osteoclacin (N-MID) by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay, and their serum total alkaline phosphatases (tALP) by flurorescence enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The individuality indices (II) of all biochemical markers were less than 0.6 in the healthy group and the primary lung cancer without bone metastases group. sCTX was the marker showing the highest critical difference (CD) in these groups, whereas N-MID was the marker displaying the lowest CD. Comparison on the means of these markers between the healthy group and the primary lung cancer without bone metastases group showed that P value for N-MID, tALP, bALP and sCTX was higher than 0.05. The means of these markers between the primary lung cancer without bone metastases group and the primary lung cancer with bone metastases group showed that the P value for N-MID was 0.08, and the P values for tALP, bALP and sCTX were less than 0.05. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of bALP and sCTX as a tool to follow up the lung cancerpatients without bone metastases in order to monitor the presence or absence of bone metastases.