Pro-Gastrin-Releasing Peptide as a Biomarker in Lung Neuroendocrine Neoplasm

Abstract

There is a lack of effective biomarkers for diagnosing lung neuroendocrine neoplasms (LNENs). A known small cell lung cancer (SCLC) biomarker is a pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), but not for all LNENs, especially for bronchopulmonary carcinoids. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of ProGRP and chromogranin A (CgA) in diagnosing LNENs. The ProGRP and CgA levels in 290 cases of LNENs and 54 healthy controls (HCs) were measured. The median ProGRP concentration in the group of LNEN patients was 136.4 pg/mL, higher than that of HCs at 6.5 pg/mL. Most of the LNEN cohort was well-differentiated tumors (typical and atypical carcinoids, n = 262, 91.7% of all LNENs). The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of ProGRP when distinguishing LNENs vs. HCs were 94.8%, 100%, and 0.995. CgA (AUC = 0.375) could not determine LNENs vs. HCs. Therefore, based on these results, ProGRP may be considered as an effective marker for diagnosing LNENs.

The Usefulness of the Ratio of Antigen–Autoantibody Immune Complexes to Their Free Antigens in the Diagnosis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

“…ProGRP and NSE are diagnostic biomarkers of SCLC with various sensitivities ranging from 47 to 80% [ 21 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Furthermore, a recent study reported excellent sensitivity and specificity (94.8% and 100%, respectively) for ProGRP in lung neuroendocrine neoplasms [ 40 ]. ProGRP and NSE are mainly released by lung cancers, while CYFRA21-1 and NGAL are released by various solid cancers [ 34 ].…”