Serum tumour M2-pyruvate kinase as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

Tumour M2-pyruvate kinase (TUM2-PK) is up-regulated in many human cancers. This study was to evaluate the clinical value of serum TUM2-PK in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. A total of 162 consecutive early-stage NSCLC patients were enrolled and followed up after tumour resection. Serum TUM2-PK level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in NSCLC patients, 50 benign pulmonary disease patients and 102 healthy controls. The TUM2-PK level in NSCLC patients was higher than that of healthy controls (P < .001) and benign pulmonary disease patients (P < .001). A threshold of 30 U/mL could be used to diagnose early-stage NSCLC with 71.6% sensitivity and 98.0% specificity. The 5-year overall survival rate in patients with high TUM2-PK level was lower than that of patients with low TUM2-PK level (P = .009). Multivariable Cox regression showed that high TUM2-PK level was an independent risk factor for overall survival (HR = 2.595, 95% CI: 1.231-5.474, P = .012). High serum TUM2-PK level could be a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of early-stage NSCLC patients.

Automated summary

The study showed that high serum TUM2-PK level could serve as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of early-stage NSCLC patients. The level of TUM2-PK was closely related to the overall survival rate of NSCLC patients.