title: Metallopanstimulin as a marker for head and neck cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metallopanstimulin (MPS-1) is a ribosomal protein that is found in elevated amounts in the sera of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We used a test, denoted MPS-H, which detects MPS-1 and MPS-1-like proteins, to determine the relationship between MPS-H serum levels and clinical status of patients with, or at risk for, HNSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 125 patients were prospectively enrolled from a university head and neck oncology clinic. Participants included only newly diagnosed HNSCC patients. Two control groups, including 25 non-smokers and 64 smokers, were studied for comparison. A total of 821 serum samples collected over a twenty-four month period were analyzed by the MPS-H radioimmunoassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HNSCC, non-smokers, and smokers had average MPS-H values of 41.5 ng/mL, 10.2 ng/mL, and 12.8 ng/mL, respectively (p = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that MPS-1 and MPS-1-like proteins are elevated in patients with HNSCC, and that MPS-H appears to be a promising marker of presence of disease and response to treatment in HNSCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA. bstack@psu.edu
authors.forename: Brendan C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Stack
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hollenbeak
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Frank R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Dunphy
authors.forename: Val J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Hamilton