No abstract

Background There is a relationship between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the development of lung cancer (LC). The aim of this study is to analyse several blood markers and compare their concentrations in patients with only COPD and LC + COPD. Methods Case-control study with cases presenting combined LC and COPD and two control groups (patients presenting only COPD and patients presenting only LC). We also included LC patients with descriptive purposes. In both groups, peripheral blood analyses of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, total leukocyte, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, total platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, alpha 1-antitripsin (A1AT), IgE, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, cholesterol and bilirubin were performed. We developed univariate and multivariate analyses of these markers, as well as a risk score variable, and we evaluated its performance through ROC curves. Results We included 280 patients, 109 cases (LC + COPD), 83 controls (COPD) and 88 LC without COPD. No differences were observed in the distribution by sex, age, BMI, smoking, occupational exposure, lung function, GOLD stage or comorbidity. Patients with LC + COPD had significantly higher levels of neutrophils [OR 1.00 (95%CI 1.00–1.00), p = 0.03] and A1AT [OR 1.02 (95%CI 1.01–1.03), p = 0.003] and lower cholesterol levels [OR 0.98 (95%CI 0.97–0.99), p = 0.009] than COPD controls. We developed a risk score variable combining neutrophils, A1AT and cholesterol, achieving a sensitivity of 80%, a negative predictive value of 90.7% and an area under the curve of 0.78 (95%CI 0.71–0.86). Conclusions COPD patients who also have LC have higher levels of neutrophils and A1AT and lower of cholesterol. These parameters could be potentially predicting biomarkers of LC in COPD patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12931-019-1155-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundDespite growing interest in increasing the efficiency and speed of the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of lung cancer (LC), the interval from signs and symptoms to diagnosis and treatment remains longer than recommended. The aim of this study was to analyze the factors that cause delays in the LC diagnosis/staging process and, consequently, delays in making therapeutic decisions.MethodsWe analyzed audit data from a prospective dataset of 1330 patients assessed at The Lung Cancer Rapid Diagnostic Unit from 26 June 2013 to 26 March 2016. The number and type of procedures and medical tests and the times of all procedures were recorded. Clinical and epidemiological variables and whether the diagnosis was performed on an inpatient or outpatient basis were also recorded.ResultsMalignancy was confirmed in 737 (55.4%) of the 1330 patients, with LC in 627 of these (85.2%). The mean interval to final diagnosis was 19.8 ± 13.9 days. Variables significantly related to a longer diagnostic time were the number of days until computed tomography (CT) was performed (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.347, 1.103–1.645; P = 0.003), until a histology sample was obtained (OR 1.243, 95% CI1.062–1.454; P = 0.007), and the total number of tests performed during the diagnostic and staging process (OR 1.823, 95% CI 1.046–3.177; P = 0.03).ConclusionsA greater number of tests and more days to CT and histology led to longer delay times. Optimization of these factors should reduce delays in the LC diagnosis process.

No abstract