Abstract:Objective To explore the diagnostic value of serum soluble cluster of differentiation (sCD) 14 combined with sCD30 for pulmonary fungal infection in lung cancer patients.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 126 lung cancer patients who received treatment at Hangzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from March 2021 to April 2024. The patients were divided into a combined group of 24 cases and a non-combined group of 102 cases based on whether they had concomitant pulmonary fungal infections. The serum levels of sCD14 and sCD30, as well as tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen-125 (CA-125), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), were compared between two groups of patients. The lung function indicators of the two groups of patients, including forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), maximum minute ventilation (MVV), and maximum mid expiratory flow (MMF) were determined. The effect and diagnostic value of serum sCD14 and sCD30 on pulmonary fungal infections in lung cancer patients were analyzed.Results The levels of sCD14 and sCD30 in the combined group were higher than those in the non-combined group (P < 0.05). The comparison of serum CEA, CA-125, CYFRA21-1, and NSE levels between the combined and non-combined groups showed no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). FEV1, MVV and MMF in the combined group were all higher than those in the non-combined group (P < 0.05). The multivariable stepwise Logistic regression analysis revealed that serum sCD14 levels [O^R = 3.691 (95% CI: 1.335, 10.201)] and sCD30 levels [O^R = 3.579 (95% CI: 1.294, 9.899)] were both risk factors for pulmonary fungal infections in lung cancer patients (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that the areas under curves of serum sCD14 and sCD30 levels and their combination for diagnosing pulmonary fungal infection in lung cancer patients were 0.734 (95% CI: 0.599, 0.865), 0.712 (95% CI: 0.576, 0.848) and 0.851 (95% CI: 0.754, 0.948), with the sensitivities being 82.4% (95% CI: 0.740, 0.952), 67.1% (95% CI: 0.591, 0.756), and 89.5% (95% CI: 0.784, 0.973), and the specificities being 64.1% (95% CI: 0.585, 0.738), 79.2% (95% CI: 0.709, 0.946), and 72.5% (95% CI: 0.631, 0.842), respectively.Conclusions Elevated levels of serum sCD14 and sCD30 are associated with pulmonary fungal infection in lung cancer patients. Serum sCD14 and sCD30 can be used to assist in the diagnosis of pulmonary fungal infection in lung cancer patients with good diagnostic efficacy.