Use of anchorchip-time-of-flight spectrometry technology to screen tumor biomarker proteins in serum for small cell lung cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study is to discover potential biomarkers in serum for the detection of small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Methods: 74 serum samples including 30 from SCLC patients and 44 from healthy controls were analyzed using ClinProt system combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight masss spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). ClinProt software and genetic algorithm analysis selected a panel of serum markers that most efficiently predicted which patients had SCLC.

Results: The diagnostic pattern combined with 5 potential biomarkers could differentiate SCLC patients from healthy persons, with a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 97.73%. Remarkably, 88.89% of stage I/II patients were accurately assigned to SCLC.

Conclusions: Anchorchip-time-of-flight spectrometry technology will provide a highly accurate approach for discovering new biomarkers for the detection of SCLC.