Evaluation of Lung Cancer by Estimating Ferritin in Exhaled Breath Condensate

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent type of lung cancer accounting for ∼80% of cases. Worldwide and in the United States, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death. In the U.S., more than 221,000 people will be newly diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011, and more than 155,000 people will die from the disease this year. Early detection of lung cancer is vital to improve lung cancer survival rates and also could change the disease outcome. In the effort to improve early detection, many imaging and cytology-based strategies have been employed; however, none has yet been highly effective, either because of limited sensitivity or the prohibitive cost they bear to public health systems. It is now widely accepted that epidemiological risk modeling is required for stratification of individuals for CT screening. In addition, one of the major unmet clinical needs is the inclusion of new molecular biomarkers on non- or minimally invasive samples to assist early diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of response to treatment. There is increasing interest in EBC analysis, because the method of collection is simple, non-invasive, repeatable and does not necessarily require patient cooperation.