Introduction: Early diagnosis of sepsis is paramount to effective management. The present study aimed to compare the prognostic accuracy of presepsin levels and other biomarkers in the assessment of septic shock and mortality risk in cancer patients.
Materials and methods: A total of 74 cancer patients were evaluated for presepsin, lactic acid, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and white blood cell count (WBC). Specificity and sensitivity values for septic shock and death were compared between four biomarkers in all patients and those with and without acute kidney injury (AKI).
Results: A total of 27 and 29 patients experienced septic shock and died, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) and sensitivity and specificity estimated for presepsin levels for septic shock were 60%, 74%, and 51%, respectively. The corresponding values for mortality were 62%, 72%, and 49%, respectively. In patients without AKI, AUC of presepsin levels for septic shock and death were 62% and 65%, respectively; in those with AKI, these values were 44% and 58%, respectively. Presepsin levels showed higher sensitivity and specificity values than WBC and higher specificity than CRP but were similar to those of lactic acid levels.
Conclusions: Presepsin levels are similar to lactic acid levels in the assessment of septic shock and mortality risk in cancer patients. In patients with AKI, presepsin levels should be considered carefully.
Keywords: diagnosis; lactic acid; presepsin; rapid response system; septic shock.