Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 is a novel plasma biomarker for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Effective biomarkers for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed. We previously showed that isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is significantly increased in NSCLC tumors. This study aimed to examine the plasma levels of IDH1 in a large patient population to evaluate its effectiveness in NSCLC diagnosis.

Experimental design: The plasma levels of IDH1, CA125, Cyfra21-1, and CEA were assayed by ELISA. Blood samples were obtained from 1,422 participants (943 patients with NSCLC and 479 healthy controls). The samples were randomly divided into a training set and a test set. Receiver operating characteristic and binary logistic regression analyses were applied to evaluate diagnostic efficacy and establish diagnostic mathematical models.

Results: Plasma IDH1 levels were significantly higher in patients with NSCLCs than in healthy controls (P < 0.001). The diagnostic use of IDH1 in lung adenocarcinoma [area under curve (AUC): 0.858 and 0.810; sensitivity: 77.1% and 76.2%; specificity: 82.9% and 76.6%; in the training set and test set, respectively] was significantly greater than that of CA125, Cyfra21-1, or CEA (P < 0.001). The model combining IDH1 with CEA, CA125, and Cyfra21-1 was more effective for lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis than IDH1 alone (sensitivity and specificity in the training set: 75.8%, 89.6%; test set: 86.3%, 70.7%). In addition, the plasma levels of IDH1 could contribute to the diagnostic model of lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusions: IDH1 can be used as a plasma biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLCs, particularly lung adenocarcinoma, with relatively high sensitivity and specificity.