title: Monitoring malignant melanoma with the S-100B tumour marker.
abstract: To assess the usefulness of the S-100B tumour marker in monitoring therapy and during follow-up we measured S-100B serum concentration in 31 patients participating in a phase I trial studying the effect of vaccination with GM-CSF gene-transduced autologous tumour cells. The S-100B serum concentration before treatment is a strong independent prognostic factor for survival, as in this study the 11 patients with low (< 0.16 microgram/l) S-100B levels were at considerably lower risk for death. All patients alive at the end of the study (n = 8) had a S-100B level within the reference range at the start of the study. At a level of 0.16 microgram/l the presence of disease could be predicted with 99% certainty for 63% of the patients. Nine patients became progressive after a stable disease. In four of them S-100 increased over 50% before clinical observation of progression, giving a lead time of more than a month in 44% of cases. In patients who acquired a status of no clinical evidence of disease after treatment, the S-100B concentration invariably decreased by more than 100%.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Cancer Institute (Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Huis), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bonfrer
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Korse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor