Is Thiol-Disulphide Homeostasis an Indicative Marker in Prediction of Metastasis in Lung Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background: Thiol/disulfide (SH/SS) homeostasis plays an essential and dynamic role in our body and in various cellular activities and pathways such as cell death, regulation of enzyme activities, mechanisms of transcription and cellular signal transduction. Lung cancer is the most commonly seen cancer type in the adult population. Therefore, prediction of metastases gains importance in this population. Methods: We included 150 patients with lung cancer who attended Kirikkale University Medical Faculty Hospital between June 2017 and June 2018. Our purpose was to evaluate whether metastases can be predicted in lung cancer patients by testing SH/SS homeostasis as a novel and easily applicable biochemical test. Results: The mean age of the patients was 63.8 +/- 8.1 (41 - 71) years. Advanced stage lung cancer, adenocarcinoma, squamous-cell and small cell lung cancers, and other types were detected in 54.7%, 42.7%, 41.3%, 13.3%, and 2.7% of the patients, respectively. SS values of the patients with advanced stage lung cancer were higher than in patients with early stage lung cancer (p < 0.001). It was determined that the patients with advanced stage lung cancer had statistically significantly higher mean values of SS, SS/SH (%), and SS/total SH (%) than patients with early stage lung cancer and that a statistically significantly lower mean value of SH/total SH (%) was found in advanced stage compared with early stage lung cancer patients. No statistically significant difference was found between the patient groups with advanced and early stage lung cancer regarding mean values of native SH and total SH levels. Conclusions: It can be concluded that SH/SS parameters may vary in advanced and early stage lung cancer patients; however, further studies should be conducted with SH/SS parameters in order to use them as indicators of cancer severity in lung cancer patients.