A clinical study of urine basic fetoprotein and urine polyamine as tumor markers in epithelial cancer of the urinary tract.
BACKGROUND
The reliability of a new screening test for epithelial cancer of the urinary tract was evaluated and the results were compared with those obtained employing urinary cytology in routine use.


METHODS
The subjects consisted of 187 cases selected randomly from among the patients who attended Toho University Ohashi Hospital during a period of 1 year from January 1998. The values for urine basic fetoprotein (BFP) and polyamine and urinary cytology were examined.


RESULTS
Urine BFP is considered useful for screening and monitoring urinary tract epithelial cancer as is urinary cytology. Urine BFP showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) for G1 compared with urinary cytology and a significantly high level compared with urinary cytology as to the positive rate in the low stage group (P < 0.05). The positive rate of urine BFP was high in patients with urinary tract infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Determining urine BFP, when combined with urinary cytology, is considered very useful for diagnosing patients with urinary tract epithelial cancer. This study suggests the possibility of urine BFP being superior to urinary cytology for screening early cancer and also as an indicator for observations on the clinical course.
Sato
D
D
Second Department of Urology, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Kase
T
T
Tajima
M
M
Sawamura
Y
Y
Matsushima
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine*; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011073:Polyamines / Q000652:urine*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014556:Urine / Q000166:cytology; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000652:urine*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000652:urine*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011073:Polyamines; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins