Table V.
Use of cut-off values of individual biomarker or in combination for discrimination between benign and malignant PE.
| Variable | Cut-off value | P-value | AUC (95% CI), % | Sensitivity, % | Specificity, % | PPV/NPV, % | Accuracy, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleural CRP, mg/l | 7.50 | <0.001 | 0.786 (0.690–0.882) | 71.0 | 73.7 | 81.5/60.9 | 72.0 |
| sCRP, mg/l | 16.90 | <0.001 | 0.825 (0.733–0.917) | 69.9 | 43.9 | 67.0/47.2 | 60.0 |
| Pleural CEA, mg/l | 5.70 | <0.001 | 0.872 (0.784–0.960) | 89.2 | 87.7 | 92.2/83.3 | 88.7 |
| sCEA, mg/l | 5.53 | 0.001 | 0.708 (0.584–0.832) | 90.3 | 57.9 | 77.8/78.6 | 78.0 |
| Pleural PCT, ng/ml | 0.16 | <0.001 | 0.783 (0.697–0.870) | 54.8 | 96.5 | 96.2/56.7 | 70.7 |
| sPCT, ng/ml | 0.14 | <0.001 | 0.852 (0.779–0.925) | 63.1 | 93.0 | 94.4/67.9 | 80.7 |
| Pleural CRP + CEA + PCT | 0.954 (0.915–0.994) | 96.8 | 87.7 | 92.8/94.3 | 93.3 | ||
| sCRP + sCEA + sPCT | 0.926 (0.877–0.975) | 78.5 | 98.2 | 98.6/73.7 | 86.0 | ||
| sCRP + pleural CEA + sPCT | 0.971 (0.950–0.992) | 90.3 | 91.2 | 91.2/85.2 | 90.7 | ||
| sCRP + pleural CEA + pleural PCT | 0.965 (0.940–0.990) | 93.5 | 87.7 | 87.7/89.2 | 91.3 | ||
| Pleural CRP + sCEA + pleural PCT | 0.922 (0.882–0.962) | 89.2 | 75.4 | 75.4/81.1 | 84.0 | ||
| sCRP + sCEA + pleural PCT | 0.920 (0.880–0.960) | 73.1 | 96.5 | 96.5/68.8 | 82.0 | ||
| Pleural CRP+ pleural CEA + sPCT | 0.973 (0.951–0.995) | 98.9 | 89.5 | 89.5/98.1 | 95.3 | ||
| Pleural CRP + sCEA + sPCT | 0.937 (0.902–0.972) | 73.1 | 96.5 | 96.5/68.8 | 82.0 |
CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; PE, pleural effusion; AUC, area under the curve; PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value; s, sera; CI, confidence interval.