Variations in Serum Steroid Hormones and Complement Levels throughout Different Stages of Lung Cancer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14500/aro.12827Keywords:
Biomarker, Complement system proteins, Glucocorticoids, Lung cancer, Steroid hormonesAbstract
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Steroid hormones and complement proteins may contribute to lung cancer progression and immune regulation. This case-control study enrolled 111 individuals, including 66 newly diagnosed patients with lung cancer and 45 healthy controls. Blood samples were collected from all participants between 7:00 and 9:00 AM following an overnight fast of at least 8 h before the initiation of any treatment in the lung cancer patient group. Serum steroid hormones were statistically higher in the lung cancer group than in the control group (p = 0.0001). In addition, the levels of serum complement C3 (p = 0.006) and C4 (p < 0.0001) in the lung cancer group were higher than those in the control group. Levels increased with disease progression. Elevated serum concentrations of pregnenolone (odds ratio [OR] = 5.12, p = 0.036) and progesterone (OR = 7.20, p = 0.023) were significantly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. The discriminatory power for serum cortisol (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.927), progesterone (AUC = 0.948), dehydroepiandrosterone (AUC = 0.935), and complement C4 was excellent (AUC = 0.962). Increased expression of several steroid hormones and complement proteins is linked to lung cancer and continuously increases with the development of the disease. Most of the steroid hormones and complement C4 showed a favorable capacity for early diagnosis and risk prediction of lung cancer. Nevertheless, pregnenolone and progesterone are now identified as the most relevant independent biomarkers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Van A. Ahmed, Hazhar M. Balaky, Namama S. Hamad, Parween A. Ismail
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Accepted 2026-03-24
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