[The dynamics of the hormonal and tumor marker levels in response to adrenaline administration in lung cancer patients]

Abstract

CIA, ferritin, ACTH, cortisol, TTH, T3, T4, insulin, CT and PTH levels were assayed radioimmunologically in the blood serum of 227 patients with lung cancer, stages I-IV, 134 cases of chronic nonspecific diseases of the lung, 28 patients with benign tumors of the lung and 30 healthy subjects. Adrenaline tests were carried out in 160 of them. Similar shifts were observed in hormone profile in both cancer and non-cancer patients. The predictive value of the hormone tests for stage I-II cancer appeared higher than in those for CIA and ferritin. However, the diagnostic value of a single test of marker proved insufficient for its practical use. Adrenaline tests identify fine disturbances in endocrine regulation and considerably raise the predictive value of such indicators as ACTH, insulin, TTH, T3, T4 and calcitonin. To assure high effectiveness of the use of basic radioimmunological data, a combination of indexes should be prepared for each case, and it should include, apart from basic levels of markers, their post-test values and indexes of reactivity.