title: What is the significance of an isolated positive cryptococcal antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid of cancer patients?
abstract: We evaluated the significance of an isolated positive cryptococcal antigen titer in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 12 cancer patients. In most of the cases, the test had a low titer, was frequently associated with an intracranial malignancy and was considered to represent a false-positive result. Hence, an isolated cryptococcal antigen in the CSF has an unclear clinical value and must be interpreted with caution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. dkontoyi@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Dimitrios P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kontoyiannis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000371:Agglutination; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002648:Child; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000276:immunology*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000382:microbiology*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
chemical_list: D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic