Nitric oxide (NO) is a marker of airway
inflammation and indirectly a general
indicator of
inflammation and oxidative stress. NO is a contributing factor in
lung cancer at an early stage and also after
chemotherapy treatment of
lung cancer. We studied whether exhaled NO levels were altered by three cycles of
chemotherapy at diagnosis and after
chemotherapy, and whether, directly or indirectly, these changes were related to the course of disease. Also, a correlation of NO levels with other markers of
inflammation was performed. We studied 42 patients diagnosed early: 26 men and 16 women with
lung cancer. We analyzed blood tests for control of inflammatory markers, functional pulmonary tests, and alveolar exhaled NO. We recorded a decrease in exhaled NO after three cycles of
chemotherapy in all patients, regardless of histological type and stage: there were 42 patients with mean 9.8 NO after three cycles (average 7.7). Also, a strong correlation appeared between NO measurements before and after
chemotherapy and
C-reactive protein (P < 0.05, r = 0.42, before) and (P < 0.045, r = 0.64, after). NO alveolar measurement as an
indicator of airway
inflammation indicates response to
chemotherapy in
lung cancer. Also, the inflammatory process in
lung cancer was confirmed and indicated response to
chemotherapy through an index that is sensitive to inflammatory disease of the airways.