DEFB1 and adenocarcinoma: On the other hand, hBD-1 peptide and mRNA were shown to be upregulated in surgically resected human lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC), when compared to normal tissue samples (26), and hBD-1 serum levels were found to be elevated in lung cancer patients (N = 56) when compared to healthy subjects (N = 46) (25).