The aim of our work was the evaluation of the immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) of two cytokeratinic markers, TPS and
CYFRA 21.1, in clinical setting on
non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Serum samples were obtained from 148 untreated NSCLC patients, 60 patients with non malignant
lung diseases and 100 healthy subjects: TPS and
CYFRA 21.1 serum levels were assayed by IRMA methods. Diagnostic performance of the markers was evaluated and the TPS and
CYFRA 21.1 distribution analysed according to some different clinical and
biological variables as histological subtypes, stage and survival time by using the Mann-Whitney "U"-test. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.54 (80/148), 0.47 (28/60), 0.52 (108/208) and 0.73 (108/148), 0.74 (44/60), and 0.73 (152/208) for TPS and
CYFRA 21.1 respectively.
CYFRA 21.1 demonstrate a higher sensitivity than TPS in all stages of the disease and in the spinocellular and
adenocarcinoma histological subtypes while TPS sensibility is higher in
large cell carcinoma. The
CYFRA 21.1 specificity is better than TPS probably by reason of its preferential distribution in respiratory epithelium. Both
markers serum levels differ significantly between Stage I-II and IV and between Stage I-II-IIIa and IIIb-IV but neither TPS nor
CYFRA 21.1 can discriminate Stage IIIa from IIIb. No significant differences were found in the serum expression of the markers by the different histological subtypes. A value of both markers less than the selected cut-off is related to a longer survival of the patients apart from
therapy (p < 0.05). Our conclusion supports similar behaviour of these markers in NSCLC and indicates
CYFRA 21.1 as the more needed biochemical index to evaluate NSCLC patients.