title: Association between plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme level and radiation pneumonitis.
abstract: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in pulmonary fibrosis and may be involved in the development of radiation-induced lung damage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of plasma ACE in radiation pneumonitis (RP). Patients with stage I-III lung cancer were treated with radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. ACE levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before radiotherapy (pre-RT) and when a median dose of 45 Gy (Range: 40-48 Gy) was reached (during-RT). The primary end point was > or = grade 2 RP. Statistic significances were evaluated with independent T-test and chi-square. Thirty-nine patients were enrolled in this study, among which 33.3% experienced > or = grade 2 RP. ACE levels, either pre-RT or during-RT, were significantly lower in the RP group than in the non-RP group (P=0.02 and 0.03, respectively). Nine out of the 19 patients (47.4%) with pre-RT ACE levels < or = 462 ng/mL experienced RP, versus 3 of 19 (15.8%) patients with ACE levels > 462 ng/mL (P=0.04). This study suggested that plasma ACE as a predictive factor for radiation pneumonitis deserves further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital (Institute), Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lujun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Luhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Xiaozhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiangzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qinfu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Weizhi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Weibo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D017564:Radiation Pneumonitis / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A