IS GAMMA-GLUTAMYL TRANSFERASE A PROGNOSTIC INDICATOR FOR EARLY-STAGE LUNG CANCER TREATED SURGICALLY?

Abstract

The aim: Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is a membrane-dependent enzyme and is primarily involved in glutathione metabolism. While a correlation between high GGT levels and oxidative stress, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers has been shown in the literature, its prognostic effect in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the preoperative GGT levels and the prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancers treated surgically. Materials and methods: Following the approval of the loc al ethics committee, the medical records of patients surgically treated in our department for stage-I non-small-cell lung cancer between January 2010 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were classified into a high group (high-GGT) and low group (low-GGT) according to the preoperative GGT cut-off levels, which were specific to our series and calculated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Survival differences between the groups were also investigated by Kaplan-Meier, log-rank, and Cox regression tests. Results: A total of 219 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The median survival was 75 (range: 58.4–91.1) months in the high-GGT group and 91 (range: 85–96.8) months in the low-GGT group, and this difference was statistically significant (Hazard Ratio: 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.9, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Preoperative GGT may be an inexpensive and easily applicable prognostic indicator in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancers.