Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many researches aiming to explore the pathogenesis of lung cancer have extensively studied the molecular alteration in such disease. OBJECTIVE: In the present study we measured the blood E2F3 mRNA using real-time RT-PCR technique in order to evaluate its clinical significance in early diagnosis and monitoring of lung cancer. METHODS: This case-control study included 50 lung cancer patients, 20 patients with benign lung diseases and 20 healthy controls. Relative quantification of blood E2F3 mRNA was done by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: Blood E2F3 mRNA levels were significantly higher in lung cancer patients when compared to either patients with benign lung diseases or healthy subjects. This elevation was significant in those with metastatic lung cancer as compared to those with localized lung cancer. At a cutoff^{(2-Δ Δ CT)} 1.5, blood E2F3 mRNA was able to distinguish malignant from benign lung conditions with a diagnostic sensitivity of 100%; while at a cutoff^{(2-Δ Δ CT)} 5.3, blood E2F3 mRNA discriminated localized from metastatic lung cancer with a sensitivity of 93.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Blood E2F3 mRNA is a sensitive diagnostic marker in lung cancer; moreover, it is a promising prognostic marker capable of efficiently discriminating early from late stages of the disease.