Soluble cytokeratin-19 and E-selectin biomarkers: their relevance for lung cancer detection when tested independently or in combinations.

OBJECTIVES: Determination of tumor biomarkers in serum has been proposed as an alternative and noninvasive way of establishing diagnosis for lung cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the combined use of Cyfra 21-1; the soluble fragment of cytokeratin 19, and soluble E-selectin; endothelial adhesion molecule, for improving the accuracy of diagnosing and screening lung cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum Cyfra 21-1 and sE-selectin were determined using electrochemiluminescent immunoassay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, in 52 patients with histologically proven lung cancer, 40 patients with benign lung diseases and 50 healthy volunteers.
RESULTS: Both markers were significantly increased in lung cancer patients as compared to healthy, for benign lung diseases Cyfra 21-1 perform well than sE-selectin. Sensitivities of Cyfra 21-1 and sE-selectin at 95th percentiles of the normal group were 96.2% and 92.3%, while at 95th percentiles of the benign lung diseases were 57.7% and 5%, respectively. In ROC curves, the diagnostic power for the detection of lung cancer was similar for Cyfra 21-1 and sE-selectin; however, when compared with benign lung diseases, Cyfra 21-1 was superior to sE-selectin. The highest sensitivity (99.8%) was reported when the two markers were combined.
CONCLUSION: Cyfra 21-1 and sE-selectin show good performance in detecting lung cancer from normal groups, however, Cyfra 21-1 was superior to sE-selectin in discriminating lung cancer from benign lung diseases.