Diagnosis value of serum soluble B7‐H4 expression in non‐small cell lung cancer

Abstract Introduction B7‐H4, a member of the inhibitory B7 family, can restrain T cell proliferation, activation, cytokine secretion, and may be involved in immune evasion in cancer patients. Objectives This aim of the study was to determine the expression level of soluble B7‐H4 (sB7‐H4) in circulation and to subsequently evaluate the clinical significance of circulating sB7‐H4 in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Serum specimens from 128 patients with NSCLC, 100 healthy volunteers (HV), and 80 patients with benign lung diseases (BLD) were collected. The concentrations of sB7‐H4 were measured by sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results Serum sB7‐H4 levels in patients with NSCLC were significantly higher than those in patients with BLD ( P < 0.05), or those in HV ( P < 0.05). Using a cutoff of 27.8 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of sB7‐H4 in differentiating between patients with NSCLC and patients with BLD, and between patients with NSCLC and HV was, 46.9% and 92.5%, and 54.7% and 95.0%, respectively. An area under the curve (AUC) for NSCLC resulting from sB7‐H4 (0.863), which was significantly better than any other tumour markers tested including CA125 (0.763), and CEA (0.775). Conclusion In conclusion, assessment of serum sB7‐H4 levels could be considered as a diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC.