Mass screening for neuroblastoma in Miyagi Prefecture.
In Japan, aiming at early and preclinical detection of neuroblastoma in infancy a mass screening program for the tumor has been implemented nationwide using urinary tests for catecholamine metabolites, vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) (Sawada 1990; Sawada et al. 1991). In this report, the results obtained from the screening program in Miyagi Prefecture for the last 6 years are described. The detection rate of neuroblastoma by mass screening was 1:8,377 among 125,652 infants tested in Miyagi Prefecture. All but one patients survived after removal of the primary tumor and none or minimal chemotherapy.
Itano
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Morita
S
S
Fujie
H
H
Ohashi
Y
Y
Minegishi
N
N
Minegishi
M
M
Yamaguchi
Y
Y
Sato
T
T
Tsuchiya
S
S
Konno
T
T
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid