The thesis aimed to evaluate selected immunological markers, including interleukin-22 (IL-22), interleukin-33 (IL-33), interleukin-38 (IL-38), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), in addition to several hematological and biochemical parameters in patients with lung cancer, to investigate their potential utility as biomarkers for disease assessment, disease progression, and treatment response.

The thesis included the evaluation of serum levels of IL-22, IL-33, IL-38, and CTLA-4 using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with comparison to healthy controls, as well as comparisons between treated and untreated patients. The study also included the evaluation of several hematological and biochemical parameters and investigated the associations between the immunological markers and selected immunohistochemical markers to determine their relationships with lung cancer type, treatment status, and tumor characteristics.

1. These markers should be investigated more extensively in larger populations of patients with lung cancer, with further evaluation across different histological subtypes to determine the subtypes in which these markers are more prominently expressed.
2. Molecular and tissue-based studies should be conducted to evaluate the expression of these markers in lung cancer tissues rather than focusing solely on their serum levels.
3. Longitudinal studies should be conducted in the same patients to measure the levels of these markers before, during, and after treatment, with long-term follow-up to evaluate their roles in treatment response, disease progression, and relapse.

The researcher was awarded a (Distinction).