Tissue carcinoembryonic antigen, calcium, copper and iron levels in cancerous lung patients

Background and objective: The expression of various trace elements and markers in lung cancer is controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and carcinoemhryonic antigen (CEA) in cancerous untreated lung tissues and to determine a possible association between these markers and lung cancer. Methods: Fourty-eight cancerous lung tissue blocks, from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Sultanate of Oman, were studied. Fe, Ca, Cu, and CEA were demonstrated in the tissue blocks using Perl's Prussian blue, Von Kossa's, modified rhodanine and immunohistochemical staining methods, respectively. Results: Twenty-three of 48 specimens showed positive Fe staining, 2 showed positive Ca staining and Cu was absent in all specimens. 93.7% expressed CEA in varying degree of positivity. 81.25% of these sections showed high expression of CEA. Conclusion: Tissue concentrations of trace elements were not elevated in lung cancer and therefore cannot be considered as a potential marker. Despite the low sensitivity and specificity of CEA as previously reported, tissue CEA should be considered as a potential marker in the evaluation of lung cancer.