Clinical evaluation of four tumor markers in malignant and benign pleural effusions

Total sialic acid (TSA), lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA), ferritin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were evaluated in 55 patients with malignant pleural effusions and in 32 patients with benign (exudative) pleural effusions. No significant differences were found in the pleural fluid TSA, LSA and fer...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inAnticancer research Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 1267
Main Authors Toumbis, M, Chondros, K, Ferderigos, A S, Daganou, M, Dema, A, Dalamaga, A, Kakari, S, Stringou, E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Greece 01.07.1992
Subjects
Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis
Carcinoembryonic Antigen - analysis
Ferritins - analysis
Humans
N-Acetylneuraminic Acid
Neoplasms - chemistry
Neoplasms - complications
Pleural Effusion - etiology
Sialic Acids - analysis
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Total sialic acid (TSA), lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA), ferritin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were evaluated in 55 patients with malignant pleural effusions and in 32 patients with benign (exudative) pleural effusions. No significant differences were found in the pleural fluid TSA, LSA and ferritin levels between malignant and benign conditions. CEA levels in malignant effusions were significantly higher than those in benign effusions (43.13 +/- 72.8 ng/ml versus 2.6 +/- 5.56 ng/ml, p less than 0.01). At a cut-off level of 5 ng/ml, 60% of the patients with cancer showed elevated pleural fluid CEA levels. The specificity and diagnostic accuracy of CEA in distinguishing malignant from benign pleural exudates were both very high (91% and 71% respectively). Therefore, of the four markers investigated, only CEA could be a valuable tool in the detection of pleural malignancy.
ISSN:0250-7005