title: Fluctuation in the concentrations of vanillylmandelic acid and homovanillic acid in mass screening for neuroblastoma.
abstract: Fluctuations in the amount of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were studied in random urine samples from 13 infants with neuroblastoma. In patients with a small tumour, many samples contained amounts below the cut off values, suggesting that detection of a patient with neuroblastoma depended on mathematical probability. Using high performance liquid chromatography a patient with a tumour of about 10 g may well be overlooked, whereas a patient whose tumour weighs over 30 g would probably be detected. With qualitative screening, although more likely to miss a patient with low VMA excretion, a patient with a tumour weighing over 50 g would be detected. In a thorough hospital examination care should be exercised in interpreting borderline values of VMA and HVA; excretion information suggesting the existence of a tumour may aid localization by radiological imaging procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Sapporo Medical College, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takasugi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawai
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000652:urine*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008403:Mass Screening; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000652:urine*; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000652:urine*; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid