Procalcitonin: Infection or Maybe Something More? Noninfectious Causes of Increased Serum Procalcitonin Concentration: Updated Knowledge

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a precursor of calcitonin, and its determination is used in daily clinical practice. It is a good marker for bacterial infection and can help diagnose sepsis. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the utility of PCT serum concentration measurement in noninfectious conditions. We found that elevated PCT levels may help in diagnosing or monitoring the course of cancer or inflammatory diseases. An increase was observed in emergency care such as acute renal failure or injuries, which may be promising in estimating the risk of complications. PCT has the potential to become a useful and clinically relevant marker beyond the assessment of bacterial infection. Due to its limited specificity, therapeutic decisions should be based on an individual evaluation of each clinical case.