Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki, 036-8562, Japan.
Hirosaki University Health Administration Center, Hirosaki, Japan.
BMC Res Notes. 2021 Jan 15;14(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s13104-021-05448-4.
Procalcitonin (PCT) has received much attention as a serum marker for bacterial infection. Elevated serum PCT is occasionally seen in severe trauma, heatstroke, and neoplastic diseases, including lung cancer with neuroendocrine component.
In the present study, we evaluated PCT expression in the specimen of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors, comparing large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), carcinoid, and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). Pathological specimens of 10 LCNEC, 4 carcinoid, and 7 SCLC cases were evaluated with immunochemical staining of PCT. Clinical characteristics and serum levels of PCT and C-reactive protein were also evaluated. We observed positive PCT expression in 5 (50%) LCNEC and 2 (50%) carcinoid specimens that were surgically resected. Whereas serum PCT levels were not elevated in patients with PCT-positive carcinoid, two out of three LCNEC patients with high PCT expression in the tumor had elevated serum PCT levels that reflected disease progression. In patients with SCLC, PCT was not detected in the tumor or serum. This is the first immunohistochemical study of the PCT expression in the lung tumor specimens. We concluded that, in patients with LCNEC, high serum PCT levels may be indicative of disease activity and serve as a biomarker.
降钙素原 (PCT) 作为细菌感染的血清标志物受到广泛关注。在严重创伤、中暑和肿瘤性疾病中，包括具有神经内分泌成分的肺癌，也会偶尔出现血清 PCT 升高。
在本研究中，我们通过免疫组织化学染色 PCT 的方法评估了肺神经内分泌肿瘤标本中的 PCT 表达，比较了大细胞神经内分泌癌（LCNEC）、类癌和小细胞肺癌（SCLC）。评估了 10 例 LCNEC、4 例类癌和 7 例 SCLC 患者的病理标本。还评估了 PCT 和 C 反应蛋白的临床特征和血清水平。我们观察到 5 例（50%）LCNEC 和 2 例（50%）类癌手术切除标本中 PCT 表达阳性。虽然 PCT 阳性类癌患者的血清 PCT 水平没有升高，但肿瘤中 PCT 高表达的 3 例 LCNEC 患者中的 2 例有升高的血清 PCT 水平，反映了疾病进展。在 SCLC 患者中，肿瘤和血清中均未检测到 PCT。这是肺肿瘤标本中 PCT 表达的首次免疫组织化学研究。我们得出结论，在 LCNEC 患者中，高血清 PCT 水平可能表明疾病活动，并可作为生物标志物。
