Significance of serum endostatin levels in patients with lung cancer

Objective To investigate the value of serum level of endostatin in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Methods Serum levels of endostatin were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 44 patients with lung cancer,20 patients with benign lung diseases and 20 normal persons. Results (1) The serum level of endostatin in the lung cancer patients was 6.47±0.81 ng/ml,which was significantly higher than those of the patients with benign lung diseases and of the healthy group(3.91±0.54 ng/ml and 3.72±0.58 ng/ml,respectively,both P0.001). (2) There was no significant difference in the serum level of endostatin among the lung cancer patients with different pathological types. (3) The serum level of endostatin in the lung cancer patients after chemotherapy was 6.73±0.52 ng/ml,which was higher than that before the chemotherapy (6.09±0.83 ng/ml,P=0.037). Conclusion Serum level of endostatin is elevated in patients with lung cancer. It may be used to evaluate the biological behavior of lung cancer.