The Value of Combination Analysis of Tumor Biomarkers for Early Differentiating Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Objective Distinguishing early lung cancer from pulmonary tuberculosis is difficult. Biomarkers have been applied to tumor diagnoses widely. However, the ability for tumor biomarkers to uniquely identify either lung cancer or pulmonary tuberculosis remains controversial. Methods The retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with suspected pathological tissue mass in their thoracic cage, found via imaging, was conducted. The levels of tumor biomarkers CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1, Pro-GRP, and SCC-Ag were measured and compared in patients with defined lung cancer (N=235) and pulmonary tuberculosis (N=224), respectively. Results In the study, Serum CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1, Pro-GRP, and SCC-Ag levels were significantly higher in the lung cancer group than in the pulmonary tuberculosis group ( P Conclusion The combination of CEA, CYFRA21-1, and NSE possesses better values for identifying lung cancer patients who are at a high risk of being misdiagnosed for pulmonary tuberculosis.