Collagen markers during anticancer therapy for lung cancer

Recently, many studies have reported that collagen metabolism markers, such as the aminoterminal propeptide of type IIE collagen (PIIIP) and the 7-S domain of type TV collagen (7-S collagen), increased in malignancy and that, they correlate with the clinical behavior of the disease. The objective of the present study was to assess the serum concentration of these collagen markers in relation to the clinical progression of the disease and during chemotherapy in lung cancer patients. This study comprised 48 lung cancer patients. Sixteen patients underwent cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Samples taken from controls were available for comparison. Serum concentrations of PIIIP and 7S-collagen were significantly higher as compared to the control group. While the collagen markes tended to decrease in the responder patients, they increased significantly after chemotherapy in the non-responder group. Collagen markers are suggested to be potentially useful for the early evaluation of the tumor response to chemotherapy in lung cancer.