title: The diagnostic value of neuron-specific enolase and carcino-embryonic antigen analyses in patients with carcinoma of the lung.
abstract: Neuron-specific enolase and carcino-embryonic antigen were quantified simultaneously in sera of 135 patients attending the Department of Respiratory Diseases for diagnostic bronchoscopy. Fifteen small cell lung carcinomas, 24 non-small cell lung carcinomas and 96 benign pulmonary diseases were investigated. Lung biopsies or bronchial washings were obtained from about 75% of the patients, including all patients with neoplastic diseases. Serum neuron-specific enolase was measured by a recently introduced enzyme-immuno assay (WaKo NS-Enolase EIA-II testkit). The results obtained with this kit were similar to those based on RIA assays. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves (ROC curves) were constructed for comparison of the discriminating ability of neuron-specific enolase and carcino-embryonic antigen in small cell lung carcinomas and non-small cell lung carcinomas. For small cell lung carcinomas the sensitivity and the specificity of neuron-specific enolase (cutoff value: 10 micrograms/l) were 87% and 88%, respectively, and for carcino-embryonic antigen values 60% and 77% were obtained. There was no correlation between neuron-specific enolase and carcino-embryonic antigen in small cell lung carcinoma patients. The diagnostic value of neuron-specific enolase and carcino-embryonic antigen in non-small cell lung carcinomas is illustrated by sensitivities of 13% and 58%, respectively. An extensive literature survey is included to allow comparison with other studies. The use of ROC curves is recommended for the determination of optimal cutoff values for the assays employed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, De Wever Hospital, Heerlen.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wielders
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bank
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Meek
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: van Dieijen-Visser
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Brombacher
mesh_terms: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase