Using the CRISPR-ELISA assay to profile plasma cytokines in 127 lung cancer patients and 125 cancer-free smokers, we develop a panel of plasma cytokine biomarkers (IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) for early detection of the disease, with 80.6% sensitivity and 82.0% specificity. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and lung cancer.