Evaluation of lung cancer by estimating ferritin in exhaled breath condensate

Introduction: Early detection of lung cancer is vital to improve lung cancer survival rates and also could change the disease outcome. There is increasing interest in EBC analysis, because the method of collection is simple, non invasive, repeatable and does not necessarily require patient cooperation. This study aimed at estimating ferritin in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in an attempt to evaluate its role as a non invasive marker for early detection of lung cancer. Patients and methods: This study included 40 patients diagnosed as lung cancer as well as 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 20 control subjects. Ferritin level was estimated in EBC of all included subjects. Results: The ferritin level in EBC was the highest in the lung cancer group of patients (> 60 ng/ml) in comparison to COPD patients (35-40 ng/ml). The ferritin level was the lowest in the control group. The statistical comparison of the ferritin level among the 3 groups was highly significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The estimated ferritin level in EBC can serve as a non invasive and inexpensive marker for screening of lung cancer. (C) 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Egyptian Society of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis.