Vol. 1, Issue 1, Part E (2014)

Background and Aims: The study was conducted on 20 patients with lung cancer going through chemotherapy to aim to correlate two inorganic ions HCO_3- and Ca²⁺ with three tumor markers LDH, CK and AFP. In a few past studies these two ions have been found to play a well-defined role in development and progression of cancers. Hence, hereunder it was tried to define the behavior of both ions if they can be correlated with different levels of some tumor markers like CK, LDH and AFP to use this correlation as a predictive diagnostic tool to know the direction of progression or prognosis of the disease.

Methods: The tumor markers of interest were evaluated by chemiluminescent immunometric assays, while as Calcium was estimated colorimetrically and HCO3- was measured by blood gas analyzer. All evaluated before chemotherapy, after 1st cycle & after 2nd cycle. The estimated values at three different stages were compared and evaluated statistically (by ‘p’ & ‘t values), both Ca²⁺ and HCO_3- were correlated with all other three tumor markers and statistical evaluations done to calculate ‘p’, ‘t ’& ‘r’(correlation coefficient).

Results: The average values of two tumor markers CK and AFP and both ions were found to be moving in their normal range beside only LDH was found to be elevated at all three stages. In all three stages the measured average values of all parameters were found in decreasing pattern as shown i.e. evaluated values were statistically significant by showing p<.0001.Further as evaluated Calcium was in negative correlation in all three CK, AFP, LDH and in positive correlation (p<.0001) with HCO^3- (r= +0.1184) before starting chemotherapy which turned positive for all markers including bicarbonates after chemotherapy (p<.0001).Bicarbonates (HCO_3-) when correlated with all markers found to be in negative correlation (p<.0001) with all only leaving Calcium(r=+0.1184) where it was positive but after chemotherapy all CK and AFB also turned positive correlation (p<.0001) while as LDH only remained in negative correlation (r=-0.0094).

Conclusion: In the present study the altered pattern of correlations of both Ca2+ and HCO_3-, specially moving within their normal range can be assumed to be showing a good degree of protection measure taken by cells themselves in altered metabolic environment in order to shifting towards normalization.