Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry (Unit for Cancer
Research), Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Spain, Institut
d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to
evaluate tumor marker (TM) sensitivity and specificity in the differential
diagnosis of patients with suspected signs of cancer.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 4776 consecutive patients admitted
in our Hospital with suspected cancer; 3281 patients had nonmalignant processes
and 1495 had malignant disease. Determinations were considered positive for
suspected malignancy when serum TM levels were higher than the cut-off found in
a previous study (1).
RESULTS: There was a specificity of 98% in patients
without malignancy, 72.2% of sensitivity in 1214 patients with epithelial
malignancy (52.3% in patients with locally advanced tumors and 78.1% in
patients with metastases). Sensitivity was 81.7% in 126 patients with cancer of
cancer unknown primary site (CUP). TM were useful in the differential diagnosis
between epithelial and non epithelial tumors, brain masses (metastases vs.
primary tumors), or other paraneoplastic syndromes
CONCLUSIONS: TMs are useful as an aid in the
evaluation of the risk of cancer of these patients with suspected cancer, and
may be useful to reduce the hospitalization time, morbidity and the number of
diagnostic tests required for diagnosis
This prezentation was supported by project Molekulární genetika nádorových a kardiovaskulárních chorob (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0040)