Elevated serum beta-defensins concentrations in patients with lung cancer.
BACKGROUND
Beta-defensins (HBDs) are expressed in lung epithelial cells and act as antimicrobial agents. Most lung cancers that originate from pulmonary epithelial cells may produce HBDs.


METHODS
We measured serum HBD-1 and HBD-2 levels in healthy subjects (HS), patients with lung cancer and patients with pneumonia by radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
Serum HBD-1 levels were higher in patients with lung cancer than HS and patients with pneumonia. Serum HBD-2 levels were higher in patients with lung cancer than HS. When cut-off values for positive HBD-1 were set at mean + 2SD of HS, the sensitivity and specificity of HBD-1 for the whole group of patients with lung cancer were 76.4 and 94.0%, respectively, and the proportion of patients with HBD-1-positive lung cancer and clinical stage I was 69.2%.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum HBDs levels were high in patients with lung cancer and the serum HBD-1 level could be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for lung cancer.
Arimura
Yasuji
Y
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Miyazaki Medical College, Kiyotake 5200, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan.
Ashitani
Jun-ichi
J
Yanagi
Shigehisa
S
Tokojima
Masatoshi
M
Abe
Koh
K
Mukae
Hiroshi
H
Nakazato
Masamitsu
M
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D023083:beta-Defensins / Q000097:blood*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C406407:DEFB1 protein, human; C106641:DEFB4A protein, human; D023083:beta-Defensins