TUMOR MARKER CYFRA-21-1 IN SERUM AND PLEURAL EFFUSIONS OF PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER

SUMMARY n Tumor marker CYFRA-21-1 may be used as an additional parameter in the diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), especially those with squamous cell carcinoma. From 1994 till 2001, the concentration of CYFRA-21-1 was determined in serum and/or pleural effusions of 166 patients with NSCLC, and in serum of 28 control subjects. Serum CYFRA-21-1 median in the control, benign and malignant group was 0.8 ng/mL, 2.6 ng/mL and 6.3 ng/mL, respectively (p>0.05). In pleural effusions, CYFRA-21-1 median differed significantly between the benign (8.2 ng/mL) and malignant (146 ng/mL) group (p<0.0000). The overall CYFRA-21-1 sensitivity and specificity were 62% and 76% in serum, and 73% for both parameters in pleural effusions. Our results confirmed the CYFRA-21-1 to better discriminate benign from malignant pleural effusions than benign from malignant sera.