Serum carcinoembryonic antigen level and pleural lavage cytology in woman with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND The prognostic impact of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and pleural lavage cytology (PLC) in female patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were examined. METHODS A consecutive series of 122 women with NSCLC who underwent surgical resection and PLC were included in the study. RESULTS The 5-year survival rate of patients with preoperative serum normal and elevated CEA levels was 86.79 % and 58.46 %, respectively ( P = 0.0032). Positive PLC was present in 9/122 (7.38 %) of patients. The 5-year survival rate of patients with positive PLC findings was 33.33 %, which was significantly poor compared with that of patients with negative findings (83.16 %, P = 0.0010). Multivariate analysis indicated that pN status, preoperative serum CEA levels and PLC findings were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative serum CEA level and PLC findings were independent prognostic factors for female patients with NSCLC.