Diagnostic value of serum and exhaled breath condensate PGC-1α levels in non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, creating an increasing demand for molecular research on the diagnostics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Metabolic reprogramming in the body can meet the energy demands of rapid cancer cell proliferation and growth, with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) serving as a key regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism. This study aims to observe and evaluate the expression level and diagnostic value of PGC-1α in NSCLC. 91 patients with NSCLC and 80 healthy volunteers were included in this study. PGC-1α concentration was determined by ELISA, and the relationship between PGC-1α expression in serum and EBC specimens and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with NSCLC was also analyzed. Meanwhile, the correlation between serum PGC-1α and EBC PGC-1α level was determined. Besides, the relationship between serum PGC-1α expression and traditional tumor markers of NSCLC was analyzed. ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum PGC-1α and EBC PGC-1α single and combined detection for NSCLC. PGC-1α concentration in serum and EBC specimens of patients with NSCLC was significantly increased. PGC-1α expression was positively correlated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM stage of NSCLC. The expression of PGC-1α in serum was positively correlated with that in EBC specimens. PGC-1α expression was closely related to that of the tumor marker NSE. Serum PGC-1α demonstrated good diagnostic value. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that serum PGC‑1α was an independent predictor of NSCLC after adjusting for age, sex, and smoking history. PGC-1α can be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC. Meanwhile, EBC shows potential as a novel non-invasive sampling method for NSCLC that requires further standardisation.