Brain Metastases in Lung Cancer Patients: Clinical Potential Risk Factors of CYFRA21-1 and CEA

Abstract Background At present, little is known about the specific risk factors of brain metastasis in patients with lung cancer. This study aims to explore the risk factors of brain metastasis. Methods From April 1999 to July 2017, a total of 1,615 lung cancer patients were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups, namely brain metastasis group and non-brain metastasis group. Student's t test, non-parametric rank sum test and chi-square test were used to describe whether there is a significant difference between the two groups. We compared the serum biomarkers of the two groups of patients, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Calcium, calcium hemoglobin (HB), alpha fetoprotein (AFP), cancer embryonic antigen (CEA), CA-125, CA-199, CA- 153, CA-724, cytokeratin fragment 19 (CYFRA 21 − 1), total prostate specific antigen (TPSA), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) ,and neuron specific enolase (NSE). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine its risk factors, and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate its diagnostic value for brain metastases in patients with lung cancer. Results In the analysis of brain metastases in patients with lung cancer, binary logistic regression analysis showed that CYFRA21-1 and CEA are independent risk factors for brain metastases in patients with lung cancer (both P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing brain metastasis were CYFRA21-1, 38.0% and 87.4%, respectively; CEA was 39.7% and 79.3%, respectively. Conclusion Serum CYFRA21-1 and CEA have predictive value in the diagnosis of brain metastases in patients with lung cancer.