Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the association between the expression of myelin basic protein in the serum and the metastasis of lung cancer to the brain. A total of 68 lung cancer patients, treated in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the People’s Hospital of Rizhao (Rizhao, China), were divided into two groups, those with brain metastasis (32 cases) and those without brain metastasis (36 cases). The expression levels of myelin basic protein were measured for all the patients. The results indicated that the expression levels of myelin basic protein in the brain metastasis group were significantly higher when compared with those in the group without metastasis (P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant correlation between the size of the brain metastasis and the expression levels of myelin basic protein (P>0.05). Furthermore, no statistically significant difference was found in the average level of myelin basic protein between the two subgroups of patients with brain tumor diameters of >1.5 cm and <1.5 cm (P>0.05). Therefore, the results demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between the expression of myelin basic protein in the serum and the metastasis of lung cancer to the brain. Myelin basic protein may thus prove useful in the early diagnosis of brain metastases in lung cancer patients.
Highlights
It has been reported that >150,000 patients with cancer are diagnosed with brain metastasis each year, with lung cancer being the most common origin site for the metastasis [1]
A clinical investigation was performed to analyze the correlation between the expression of myelin basic protein in the serum and brain metastasis from lung cancer
The concentration of myelin basic protein in the serum of the brain metastasis group was significantly higher when compared with the group without brain metastasis
Summary
It has been reported that >150,000 patients with cancer are diagnosed with brain metastasis each year, with lung cancer being the most common origin site for the metastasis [1]. The outcome of patients with brain metastases from lung cancer is poor, with a median survival time of only one or two months for untreated patients and six months for patients who undergo surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy [2,3]. Diagnosis and treatment of brain metastasis may improve the therapeutic outcomes and quality of life of lung cancer patients. Finding a feasible method for the early detection of the metastasis of lung cancer to the brain is critical
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