Endothelin-1 Is Increased in the Breath Condensate of Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

One recent line of cancer research is currently directed to the study of growth factors. Of increasing interest is endothelin-1 (ET-1), a mitogenic factor already investigated in several human cancer cell lines, which has been found to participate in the development and progression of tumours. This peptide has an important role also in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) where ET-1 expression has been found in 100% of cell lines. Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure ET-1 concentrations in the airways of patients with NSCLC using a completely non-invasive procedure – the breath condensate – and to verify the involvement of this peptide in the growth of lung tumours. Methods: We enrolled 30 patients (17 men, median age 63 years; range 53–74) with histological evidence of NSCLC and 15 healthy controls (9 men, median age 59 years; range 52–70). ET-1 was measured in the exhaled breath condensate by means of a specific enzyme immunoassay kit. Results: Higher concentrations of exhaled ET-1 were found in NSCLC patients (8.3 ± 0.7 pg/ml) compared to controls (5.2 ± 0.5 pg/ml, p < 0.0001). A statistically significant difference was observed between patients with distant metastases (stage IV) of NSCLC (8.9 ± 0.6 pg/ml) and those with locoregional disease (stage I–III) (7.9 ± 0.5 pg/ml). A significant reduction in ET-1 levels was found in 14 patients after surgical removal of the tumour either associated with or without adjuvant chemotherapy (6.3 ± 0.5 vs. 7.9 ± 0.4 pg/ml, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the measurement of ET-1 in the breath condensate of patients with NSCLC could be proposed as a marker for early detection of NSCLC as well as for monitoring reduction or progression of the neoplasm in the follow-up of treated patients.

Detection of cancer embryo antigen and endothelin-1 in exhaled breath condensate: A novel approach to investigate non-small cell lung cancer

“…The level of ET-1 increased as the disease progresses; this finding is consistent with that of Carpagnano et al (24) and Boldrini et al (25). This tendency indicated that ET-1 induces the growth and metastasis of lung cancer.…”

Exhaled Breath Condensate pH in Adult Croatian Population Without Respiratory Disorders: How Healthy a Population Should Be to Provide Normative Data?

“…As a completely non-invasive procedure, exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has been extensively studied in order to explore respiratory pathophysiology and its clinical relevance in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of respiratory diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, allergic rhinitis, pneumonia, adult respiratory distress syndrome, lung sarcoidosis, malignant lung tumours, cystic fi brosis, idiopathic lung fi brosis, and tuberculosis (1)(2)(3).…”

Lung Cancer Screening: Adjuncts and Alternatives to Low-Dose CT Scans

“…Other studies have demonstrated that interleukin2, TNF alpha, leptin, and endothelin-1 are present in higher levels in the EBC from LC patient compared to normal controls. These levels also appeared to correlate with the stage of the disease [67][68][69]. Like VOCs, EBC still requires further validation and large scale trials.…”