title: Relationship between serum ferritin levels and tumour status in patients with renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between serum ferritin levels (a useful marker for diagnosing and staging renal cell carcinoma, RCC) and tumour status in RCC of <or=7 cm diameter.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum ferritin levels were measured using an enzyme immunoassay in 101 patients before treatment for RCC. The largest diameter of the primary tumour was measured in the pathological specimens. The correlation between serum ferritin levels and histopathological status was assessed retrospectively in all patients, and separately in the 67 patients with tumours of <or=7 cm diameter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the whole group, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, extracapsular invasion, vascular invasion and nuclear grade were significantly different (P < 0.001) between patients with normal and those with elevated ferritin levels. However, in patients with tumours of <or=7 cm, only the presence of distant metastasis was significantly different (P < 0.001) between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated serum ferritin levels in patients with RCC of <or=7 cm may suggest the presence of distant metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki city, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishikido
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanetake
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005293:Ferritins