Tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS) in pediatric malignancies.
Tissue Polypeptide Specific Antigen (TPS) may soon be routinely used as a proliferation marker in adult epithelial tumors. So far, no data have been available on normal or pathologic TPS values in children. Therefore the present study was designed to test the marker for the first time in pediatric malignancies. Using a commercial ELISA kit (Beki Diagnostics), serum TPS levels were determined in 270 healthy children and compared with various benign (n = 143) and malignant (n = 58) diseases. In healthy children, we found an age-dependent distribution of TPS values. Median (M) TPS was found to be 105.05 U/l at birth as determined from umbilical cord blood (n = 96). By the end of the first week, the value rose to M = 164 U/l and then continuously decreased with age until reaching the adult level at around 14 years. Patients with benign masses (n = 29) did not show elevated serum TPS in contrast to children with malignancies. Advanced tumor stage, metastases, and low dignity correlated with an increase in serum values. In many cases, chemotherapy and especially surgical resection of the tumor were followed by a decrease of the previously markedly elevated TPS levels. Severe infections and impaired renal function were however related with very high values and this must be taken into account when judging the validity of TPS measurements. The marker appears useful for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant processes. While previous investigators described its use exclusively in epithelial tumors of adults, we cannot confirm this specifity in pediatric patients: Our data show that elevated TPS values in children can also be observed in nonepithelial tumors.
Rebhandl
W
W
Division of Pediatric Surgery, University of Vienna Medical School, Austria.
Paya
K
K
Felberbauer
F X
FX
Fuchs
R
R
Henkel
J
J
Bieglmayer
C
C
Horcher
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000097:blood; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000097:blood
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D010455:Peptides; C089984:tissue polypeptide specific antigen