title: The clinical value of exhaled nitric oxide in patients with lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in lung cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 172 healthy control subjects and 164 patients with histopathologically confirmed lung cancer were enrolled in this study. The FeNO measurements and pulmonary function tests were conducted in the Chinese PLA General Hospital. The recorded data included FeNO, the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), the forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, the FEV1(% predicted), the demographic characteristics, the presence of complications and the smoking status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with lung cancer had a significantly higher level of eNO than the healthy control subjects (33.85 ± 15.63 ppb, n = 163; 16.83 ± 4.17 ppb, n = 172; P < 0.01). The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for eNO predicting airway inflammation in lung cancer subjects and healthy control subjects was 0.932 (95% confidence interval: 0.904-0.961). In the lung cancer group, the eNO levels in the squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, small-cell lung cancer and lung carcinoid tumor groups were significantly different (P < 0.01). Lung cancer patients with a predicted FEV1% value <80% had a higher level of eNO than the patients with a predicted FEV1% value ≥80%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The eNO levels in patients with lung cancer were higher than the normal level, especially in the patients with squamous cell carcinoma and small-cell lung cancer. The differences in eNO among the lung cancer subtypes were statistically significant. Measuring eNO will be helpful in diagnosing airway inflammation in lung cancer and in the classification of lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Peng-Fei
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Da-Hui
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
authors.forename: Li-Xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods*; D045853:Exhalation; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: airway inflammation; exhaled nitric oxide (eNO); lung cancer; pulmonary function