Validation of hyaluronic acid as a biomarker diagnosis and prediction in sputum of patients with lung carcinoma

Abstract

Lung cancer (PC) is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Brazilian data presented by the National Cancer Institute (INCA) estimate 18,740 new cases of lung cancer among men and 12,530 in women for each year of the 2018-2019 biennium. Considering these data as reference, several research groups have studied and invested in new strategies to develop noninvasive diagnostic methods, new biomarkers and new techniques to aid in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of CP. Fluid biopsies in the blood, sputum or bronchial lavages for the early detection of CP are already being performed, but no group has been successful in standardizing these markers for large-scale use in clinical practice. However, a specific group of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins present in secretions, blood, saliva, sputum and urine, has presented great potential as a diagnostic marker of CP. This potential was exacerbated after results from previous studies that demonstrated a direct and significant association between tumors with high percentage of hyaluronic acid (HA), microvascular density (DMV) and the relationship with malignancy potential. Equally significant was the discovery of the direct association between metastatic tumors and high levels of HA in neoplastic cells. Recent studies have detected increased sputum HA levels in lung cancer patients, as well as a significant correlation between HA levels in sputum and tumor tissue. (AU)