Evaluation of a Panel of Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer: An Observational Study

Aims and background: Carcinoma of lung features is one of the most frequently encountered malignancies in the world, which accounts for most cancer deaths. To buckle down this deadly disease, novel tools for early diagnosis need to be explored. Biomarkers, being a simple and noninvasive method, are being researched all over the world for their role in screening, early detection, and confirmation of the diagnosis of specific types of cancer, as well as to predict the prognosis, monitor response to treatment, and detect recurrence. Materials and methods: The current study evaluated the values of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cytokeratin fragment 19 (CYFRA 21-1), carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM), C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were evaluated in 75 participants, 25 each of lung cancer, benign disease, and healthy controls respectively, both individually as well as together as a panel in various combinations of set of two/three/four/five biomarkers for diagnosis, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of all the different combinations was calculated. Results: Mean serum levels of all these biomarkers were elevated in patients with lung cancer vs normal healthy controls. It was inferred that the best panel was a combination of two biomarkers, CRP and NSE, together, which yielded a specificity of 94%, accuracy of 82.67%, and sensitivity of 60% (p-value of <0.001). Conclusion: Biomarkers, both individually and as a combination as a panel may serve as useful tools for early detection of this deadly disease.