title: Comparison of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sialic acid levels between malignant and benign lung diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is known that tissue and serum sialic acid levels may be altered by malignant transformation. In this study, sialic acid levels were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and serum in two groups of patients with lung cancer and non-malignant diseases of the lung.
  
  
  METHODS
  Colorimetric methods were used for determination sialic acid in serum and in BAL samples. Flexible bronchoscopy was used to obtain the latter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sialic acid levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum did not show any statistically significant difference between subjects with malignant and the non-malignant lung diseases (p > 0.05). Sialic acid levels were also unrelated to the stage and localization of the tumor (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sialic acid levels do not appear to be a good marker for discriminating malignant from non-malignant diseases of the lung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, GMMA Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. sitmangil@superonline.com
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isitmangil
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Isitmangil
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Budak
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aydilek
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Celenk