Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39400573›Full record

SynthesisCancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology2025

Biomarkers Suitable for Early Detection of Intrathoracic Cancers in Primary Care: A Systematic Review.

Wasim Hamad, Bogdan Grigore, Hugo Walford, Jaime Peters, Panos Alexandris, Stefanie Bonfield, Laura Standen, Rachel Boscott, Dawnya Behiyat, Isla Kuhn and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. External Validation of Plasma Glycosaminoglycans as Biomarkers to Improve Lung Cancer Risk Stratification.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Wasim HamadCentre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-5210-9177
Bogdan GrigoreExeter Test Group, Department of Health and Community Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-4241-7595
Hugo WalfordUniversity College London Medical School, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-9655-9674
Jaime PetersExeter Test Group, Department of Health and Community Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-1778-3518
Panos AlexandrisCentre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-4489-0282
Stefanie BonfieldCentre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-7513-2575
Laura StandenCentre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-8281-3819
Rachel BoscottPrimary Care Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID 0009-0009-6585-7113
Dawnya BehiyatPrimary Care Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-5940-9706
Isla KuhnUniversity of Cambridge Medical Library, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-2879-4020
Richard D NealExeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care, Department of Health and Community Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-3544-2744
Fiona M WalterCentre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-7191-6476
Natalia CalanzaniInstitute of Applied Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-5068-2543

Funding

CSP VA 577
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intrathoracic cancers, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymoma, present diagnostic challenges in primary care. Biomarkers could resolve some challenges. We synthesized evidence on biomarker performance for intrathoracic cancer detection in low-prevalence settings. A search in Embase and MEDLINE included studies that recruited participants with suspected intrathoracic cancer and reported on at least one diagnostic measure for a validated, noninvasive biomarker. Studies were excluded if participants were recruited based on a preestablished diagnosis. A total of 52 studies were included, reporting on 108 individual biomarkers and panels. Carcinoembryonic antigen, CYFRA 21-1, and VEGF were evaluated for lung cancer and mesothelioma. For lung cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen and CYFRA 21-1 were the most studied, with AUCs of 0.48 to -0.90 and 0.48 to -0.83, respectively. Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (Pro-GRP) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) had the highest negative predictive values (NPV) (98.2% and 96.9%, respectively), whereas Early Cancer Detection Test - Lung (Early CDT) and miRNA signature classifier panels showed NPVs of 99.3% and 99.0%, respectively, in smokers. For mesothelioma, fibrillin-3 and mesothelin plus osteopontin had AUCs of 0.93 and 0.91, respectively. Thymoma panels (binding AcHR + StrAb and binding AcHR + modulating AcHR + StrAb) had 100% NPVs in patients with myasthenia gravis. The review highlights the performance of some biomarkers. However, few were evaluated in low-prevalence settings. Further evaluation is necessary before implementing these biomarkers for intrathoracic cancers in primary care.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorEarly Detection of CancerHumansLung NeoplasmsPrimary Health CareThoracic NeoplasmsBiomarkers, Tumor

Identifiers

PMID39400573
PMCPMC11712036

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.