Could serum Raftlin and GPER-1levels be new biomarkers for early detection of non-small cell lung cancer?

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Therefore, the search for new biomarkers continues in order to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage. In this study, we investigated blood levels of G-protein associated membrane estrogen receptor (GPER)-1 and Raftlin as markers of early-stage in lung cancer.

Methods: Lung cancer cases admitted to our hospital between 2016 and 2018 were included in our study. GPER-1 and Raftlin levels were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) in blood samples taken from patients diagnosed with lung cancer and healthy volunteers.

Results: There were 64 cases in total, 32 cases in lung cancer group and 32 cases in control group. We evluated GPER-1 levels for each group. GPER-1 level was 2.54 (IQR: 1.08-5.78) ng/mL in the lung cancer group and 5 (IQR: 2.69-7.99) ng/mL in the control group. ROC analysis value for GPER-1, (AUC) was 0.66 (p < 0.01). Raftlin levels were 4.5 (IQR: 3.3-11.52) ng/mL in control group and 7.77 (IQR: 6.24-9.85) ng/mL in lung cancer group. ROC analysis value for Raftlin, (AUC) was 0.629(P = 0.09).

Conclusions: In our study, there was no statistically significant difference between our groups in terms of Raftlin values. Therefore, it was thought that Raftlin could not be a specific marker in the diagnosis of lung cancer. GPER-1 was found to be lower in the lung cancer group than in healthy individuals. Therefore, it was thought that GPER-1 could be evaluated as a diagnostic marker in lung cancer. However, we think that more definitive results can be obtained by determining the tissue and expression level of GPER in lung cancer with further studies.