title: Urine diacetylspermine as a novel tumour maker for pancreatobiliary carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (highly specific) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (highly sensitive) have been used as tumour markers for pancreatobiliary cancers. A novel urine tumour marker, diacetylspermine, was compared with the two conventional serum tumour markers in 125 patients with pancreatobiliary diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When the diagnosis of benign or malignant condition was examined, the sensitivity of urine diacetylspermine (75%) was higher than that of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (44%; P=0.048) and the same as that of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (75%). The specificity of urine diacetylspermine (81%) was lower than that of serum CEA (92%) and as high as that of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (80%). The efficiency of urine diacetylspermine (79%) was higher than that of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (74%) and the same as that of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (79%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that urine diacetylspermine is a marker for pancreatobiliary carcinoma, which is as highly sensitive and specific as serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. yamaguchi@surg1.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirahane
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konomi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Torata
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hamasaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawakita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000652:urine*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine*; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013096:Spermine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D013096:Spermine; C029453:N',N''-diacetylspermine