Elevation of tumour markers in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis

Abstract

It is unclear whether tumour markers are generally increased in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). To clarify this point, levels of tumour markers were measured in the serum and BALF of patients with PAP. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and carbohydrate antigens sialyl Lewis (CA 19-9) and sialyl SSEA-1 (SLX) were assayed with radioimmunoassay kits. Cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Values for the tumour markers in serum, except for SCC, exceeded cut-off values in some PAP patients. Levels of the markers were higher in BALF compared with those in serum, and were significantly elevated in PAP patients compared with control subjects. There was a significant inverse correlation between CA19-9 level in BALF and arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) in PAP patients. A gradual elevation of CA19-9 and SLX was observed in a patient who showed a decrease in PaO2 level during the study period. In the light of these findings, it is possible that levels of tumour markers in BALF, especially levels of CA19-9 and SLX, may reflect the severity of the disease in PAP patients.

Increased lung cancer risk in patients with interstitial lung disease and elevated CEA and CA125 serum tumour markers

“…Hirakata et al . showed that serum and BALF CEA and CA19‐9 levels were elevated in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis and that CA19‐9 levels reflected disease severity . CVD‐ILD and non‐IPF IIP serum tumour markers did not increase, suggesting that serum tumour marker levels reflect the process and extent of lung fibrosis.…”

Serum hyaluronic acid and procollagen III, N-terminal propeptide levels are highly associated with disease severity and predict the progression of COVID-19

“…In most cases, tumor markers are employed to predict primary or secondary tumor risk. For example, ProGRP and CYFRA21-1 are common biomarkers of small cell lung cancer, while SCC is a type of tumor-associated antigen related to squamous cell lung cancer ( Hirakata et al., 1995 ). In this study, ProGRP, CYFRA21-1 and SCC in severe COVID-19 patients were significantly higher than those in mild patients.…”