[Serum level of neuron-specific enolase: value as tumor marker of microcellular bronchial cancer].

This study analyses retrospectively the plasma level of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) performed in 236 patients presenting for the diagnosis of a bronchopulmonary disease. Taking a cut off on 15 micrograms/L, 61 (64%) of the 95 patients sharing a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (45% of those with a limited disease and 90% with an extensive disease) but 8 (13%) of 60 with a non small cell lung cancer patients and 0% of those with a benign bronchopulmonary disease showed an abnormal value of NSE. Therefore in this group of patients, the diagnosis of SCLC could be assessed with a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 94% in patients with an NSE plasma level above 15 micrograms/L. In addition, the interest of sequential dosages of NSE for the monitoring of SCLC patients is also stressed.