Detection of CEA and ProGRP Levels in BALF of Patients with Peripheral Lung Cancer and Their Relationship with CT Signs

Abstract

Background. Lung cancer is a common clinical thoracic malignant tumor, which had a serious impact on the safety of patients, currently ranking first in all malignant tumors in morbidity and mortality, with generally less than 5% survival rate in 5 years. Objective. To investigate the relationship and significance between carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and precursor gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) changing levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and CT imaging features in patients with peripheral lung cancer. Methods. A total of 90 patients diagnosed with peripheral lung cancer as the lung cancer group and 60 patients with benign lung diseases as the control group in our hospital from May 2019 to October 2021 were selected to compare the differences of CEA and ProGRP in BALF by the classification of CT features. Results. The levels of CEA and ProGRP in the BALF of the lung cancer group were significantly higher than those of the control group; the proportion of patients with lobulation sign, burr sign, ground glass sign, pleural effusion, and lesion diameter ≥ 3.0 cm in the lung cancer group was higher than that in the control group; the CEA level in BALF of lung cancer patients with spicule sign, pleural effusion, and lesion diameter ≥ 3.0 cm was significantly higher than that without these symptoms, while ProGRP level in the BALF of lung cancer patients with lobulation sign, burr sign, ground glass sign, pleural effusion, and lesion diameter ≥ 3 . 0 cm was significantly higher than that of lung cancer patients without these symptoms. Conclusion. The check of CEA and ProGRP in BALF in combination with CT features has a certain clinical value for the diagnosis of lung cancer. At the same time, the increased levels of CEA and ProGRP in BALF have a certain correlation with the changes of malignant signs of lung cancer in CT examination.

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid assessment facilitates precision medicine for lung cancer

“…Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a glycoprotein complex expressed on the surface of tumor cells. Compared with a control group, CEA expression in the BALF of lung cancer patients is significantly upregulated [32][33][34] . Numerous studies have reported that the level of CEA expression in the BALF of lung cancer patients is higher than serum, so the sensitivity of detecting CEA in BALF is higher 35,36 .…”

“…An early study concluded that CHFRA21-1 had poor diagnostic value 44 , while subsequent studies reported improved diagnostic performance 32 , 34 . In addition to the tumor markers mentioned above, research has been conducted on other markers, such as squamous cell carcinoma antigen and precursor gastrin-releasing peptide 33 , 35 . Based on existing reports, however, the detection of tumor markers in BALF is insufficient for the diagnosis of lung cancer, but combined detection can significantly improve the sensitivity of diagnosis 32 , 34 .…”

Correlations between iodine uptake, invasive CT features and pleural invasion in adenocarcinomas with pleural contact

“…The spiculation sign, a known CT feature indicative of malignant lung neoplasms 21 , 22 , may suggest tumour invasiveness and a poorer prognosis in lung cancers to some extent. For instance, the 5-year survival rate of stage I NSCLCs with spiculation signs declined from 83.3 to 39.5%, compared with tumours with a normal margin 23 .…”

Emerging Biosensing Methods to Monitor Lung Cancer Biomarkers in Biological Samples: A Comprehensive Review

“…ProGRP (Pro-Glycine-Arginine-rich protein) is a primary biomarker for lung cancer commonly studied for its potential use in early diagnosis [ 101 ]. ProGRP is a product of the cleavage of larger proteins and is elevated in the serum of lung cancer patients [ 102 ]. Overall, ProGRP is a valuable tumor marker for the detection and monitoring of SCLC and a good tool for discriminating NSCLC versus SCLC.…”