The influence of different blood samples treatment methods on pro-gastrin-releasing peptide

Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) is the promising molecular tumor marker of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Here we study the influence of different blood samples treatment methods on ProGRP. Serum with and without separation gel and heparin plasma from 10 SCLC patients and 5 healthy individuals were assayed for ProGRP immediately and 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, and 48 hours after collection. ProGRP of serum with and without separation gel and heparin plasma detected immediately was basically consistent, whereas there was a significant difference in the level of them assayed after 2 hours. No significant variation with time was observed in heparin plasma, but in serum with and without separation gel, ProGRP concentrations gradually declined with time, with statistical significance. When assayed within 2 hours, each time point of ProGRP in heparin plasma had no significant difference and the difference of PrpGRP in serum separating gel existed at 1.5 hours. Heparin plasma is the best option for clinical test of ProGRP. If serum with separation gel is used, optimization methods of turn-around-time which guarantee samples detected within 1 hour after collection can make results more instructive for clinical treatment.