title: Trends in liver function tests: a comparison with serum tumor markers in metastatic uveal melanoma (part 2).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare trends in liver function test (LFT) levels over consecutive visits before detection of liver metastasis (LM) from uveal melanoma (UM) with such trends in the serum tumor markers S-100β, melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA), osteopontin (OPN), and tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was drawn from 32 patients with metastatic UM and 43 disease-free (DF) patients semi-annually for levels of S-100β, MIA, OPN, and TPS. Abdominal ultrasonography (US) and LFTs were used to detect LM. Median LFT levels were calculated at 6-month intervals prior to the clinical detection of LM. Trends in LFT levels over consecutive visits in the groups were compared with trends in the tumor markers for these groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only LDH gave a statistically significant difference between the trends of the metastasis and DF groups (p=0.0041). When calculating the lead time, all of the elevations were non-significant except for gamma glutamyltransferase which showed a statistically significant elevation at time 0, the time of detection of metastasis. LDH showed a rise at 0-6 months before detection, but this was not significant. For the tumor markers, steeper trendlines were shown for the metastasis group for MIA and S-100β, and most of the markers showed a lead time of more than six months, although this was statistically significant only for OPN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following the dynamics of tumor markers and LFTs may help to find metastatic disease in UM patients before the metastases are detectable by imaging, enabling earlier treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hendler
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pe'er
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaiserman
authors.forename: Ronen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baruch
authors.forename: Inna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kalickman
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Shahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frenkel
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests / Q000639:trends; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000097:blood; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood; D011379:Prognosis; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood; D015996:Survival Rate; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000098943:Uveal Melanoma
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; C090059:MIA protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D010455:Peptides; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; C089984:tissue polypeptide specific antigen; D053495:Osteopontin