Levels of neuron-specific enolase after chemotherapy do not predict a response in small cell lung cancer.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was measured in serum samples of 35 patients with small cell lung cancer and 10 control patients. The samples were collected during 10 days after the first course of chemotherapy, in order to investigate whether changes of NSE had a predictive value of tumour response. Three patterns of change of NSE were observed. Pattern 1 showed an increase of serum NSE with a maximum value more than 1.5 times the pretreatment level (n = 17); pattern 2 involved no increase at all or less than 1.5 times the pretreatment level (n = 14); pattern 3 showed a continuous decrease (n = 5). No relationship between the three patterns of change and the tumour response was observed. Only an NSE level less than 10 ng/ml at the time of start of the second course predicted a major response.