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Original Article | Cancer Science | Volume 15 Issue 4, April 2026 | Pages: 1950 - 1959 | Georgia
Circulating and Serum Biomarkers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Abstract: Blood-based biomarkers have become central to the modern management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but they do not all carry the same clinical weight. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), interpreted within the broader cell-free DNA (cfDNA) compartment, is now the most actionable blood-based biomarker class because it can identify targetable drivers, acquired resistance mechanisms and, in selected settings, molecular residual disease (MRD). By contrast, circulating tumour cells (CTCs), classical serum tumour markers such as CYFRA 21-1, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC/SCCA), inflammatory mediators including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and angiogenic or growth-factor markers such as VEGF, PDGF, FGF and EGF are currently strongest as tools for prognosis, response monitoring and biological risk stratification rather than as stand-alone determinants of drug switching. The practical challenge is therefore not merely whether a biomarker is abnormal, but whether convergent biomarker kinetics, clinical status and radiographic findings together justify repeat plasma testing, tissue re-biopsy, intensified surveillance or a true change in therapy. This review synthesizes current evidence across these biomarker classes, distinguishes validated actionability from promising but still exploratory signals, and proposes a pragmatic framework for integrating biomarker combinations into diagnostic work-up, prognostication and treatment-shift decisions in NSCLC.
Keywords: Non-small cell lung cancer; circulating tumor DNA; cell-free DNA; circulating tumor cells; liquid biopsy; CYFRA 21-1; carcinoembryonic antigen; squamous cell carcinoma antigen; interleukin-6; serum amyloid A; vascular endothelial growth factor; platelet-derived growth factor; fibroblast growth factor; biomarker-guided therapy; treatment resistance; precision oncology
How to Cite?: Revaz Turmanidze, Alexandre Tavartkiladze, Pati Revazishvili, Thatia Potskhoraia, Maia Maisuradze, "Circulating and Serum Biomarkers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer", Volume 15 Issue 4, April 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1950-1959, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26328192905, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26328192905