TY - JOUR T1 - Elevated Serum β-Defensins Concentrations in Patients with Lung Cancer JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 4051 LP - 4058 VL - 24 IS - 6 AU - YASUJI ARIMURA AU - JUN-ICHI ASHITANI AU - SHIGEHISA YANAGI AU - MASATOSHI TOKOJIMA AU - KOH ABE AU - HIROSHI MUKAE AU - MASAMITSU NAKAZATO Y1 - 2004/11/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/24/6/4051.abstract N2 - Background: Beta-defensins (HBDs) are expressed in lung epithelial cells and act as antimicrobial agents. Most lung cancers that originate from pulmonary epithelial cells may produce HBDs. Materials and Methods: We measured serum HBD-1 and HBD-2 levels in healthy subjects (HS), patients with lung cancer and patients with pneumonia by radioimmunoassay. Results: Serum HBD-1 levels were higher in patients with lung cancer than HS and patients with pneumonia. Serum HBD-2 levels were higher in patients with lung cancer than HS. When cut-off values for positive HBD-1 were set at mean + 2SD of HS, the sensitivity and specificity of HBD-1 for the whole group of patients with lung cancer were 76.4 and 94.0 %, respectively, and the proportion of patients with HBD-1-positive lung cancer and clinical stage I was 69.2 %. Conclusion: Serum HBDs levels were high in patients with lung cancer and the serum HBD-1 level could be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for lung cancer. Copyright© 2004 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved ER -