[The clinical significance serum N-POMC level in lung cancer patients]

Serum N-POMC level of 103 cases of lung cancer were measured in our hospital. The results were as follows: The lung cancer group, 50.5%, of patienst has an N-PONC level above the normal upper limit. The percentages of the N-POMC levels above the normal limit in lung cancers, such as: squamous-cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, SCLC and undifferentiated carcinoma were 52.2%, 50.0%, 47.3% and 57.1%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference of N-POMC levels among these kinds of lung cancers, Eleven of 18 cases of SCLC patients in stage IIIb or IV, and 3 of 9 cases of SCLC patients in stage IIIa had N-POMC levels above the upper normal limit. Could serum N-POMC be one of the indexes for assisting the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer needs further investigation. Cases with carcinoid, thymoma and neurofibroma had higher N-POMC levels too. Six patients had Cushing syndrome.