title: [Measurement of serum neopterin levels in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between serum neopterin levels and nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum neopterin levels were determined in 54 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC group) and 32 healthy adults (normal group) by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum neopterin levels in NPC group were significantly higher than that of in normal group (P < 0.001). The serum neopterin levels in UICC-TNM stages were undifferentiated (P > 0.05). The serum neopterin levels in patients with no lymph node metastasis were lower than that of in lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). The serum neopterin levels decreased significantly after disappearance of tumor and its lymph node treated by radiotherapy (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cellular immunity mediated by macrophages might be involved in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the measurement of the serum neopterin may be a useful objective index to evaluate cellular immunological functions and curative effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Second Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D019798:Neopterin