Serum cripto-1 as a clinical marker for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cripto-1 (CR-1) plays an important role in angiogenesis related to tumor growth, in concert with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and enhanced expression of CR-1 has been reported in lung cancer tissue.

METHODS: Patients with lung cancer (n = 156) and healthy volunteers (n = 60) were enrolled in the study. Serum CR-1 and VEGF concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS: Patients with lung cancer had higher serum CR-1 (4.03 ± 1.49 ng/mL vs. 1.13 ± 0.43 ng/mL, p<0.05) and VEGF (503.62 ± 112.74 pg/mL vs. 398.62 ± 117.84 pg/mL, p<0.05) levels than the control group. With stage progression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), serum CR-1 levels increased, and patients with distant metastasis had higher levels than those without metastasis (p<0.05). In NSCLC, the low CR-1 group (<1.54 ng/mL) had a better overall survival rate compared with the high CR-1 group (>1.54 ng/mL, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that serum CR-1 is a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for NSCLC patients.