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Biomedical subjects

E Paus

Publications and source records attributed to E Paus.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Detection of c-erbB-2 related protein in sera from breast cancer patients. Relationship to ERBB2 gene amplification and c-erbB-2 protein overexpression in tumour.

The level of a c-erbB-2 related protein was determined in sera from 168 breast carcinoma patients, 12 females with benign breast disease, and 66 female controls using an ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) kit. Elevated c-erbB-2 related protein level was detected in one of 13 preoperative sera (8%), two of 62 postoperative sera from patients without recurrent disease (3%), and 55 of 93 sera collected at recurrent disease (59%). Elevated serum levels were detected significantly more often in patients with distant metastases than in patients with recurrent disease restricted to loco-regional areas (68% versus 19%). Presence of elevated serum level was associated with ERBB2 gene amplification and c-erbB-2 protein overexpression in tumour. None of the patients who had normal ERBB2 gene copy number in tumour had elevated serum levels. Although the usefulness in postoperative prediction of the presence of micrometastases is somewhat questionable, the results suggest c-erbB-2 related protein to represent a novel tumour marker in serum and other body fluids from breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis and during treatment monitoring.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Tumor marker analyses--valuable tools if used correctly].

The tumour marker assays in routine use today are not cancer-specific. Most markers are normal products of epithelial tissues, usually excreted from the intact organ. The infiltrating malignant growth allows release directly into lymph and blood, where the product is measured as a "tumour marker". Many tumour markers are glycoproteins depending on the liver function for their catabolism. These mechanisms explain the slight to moderate increases in tumour marker values found in various non-malignant diseases. Therefore, in general, such assays are of no use for screening healthy populations, and a normal value does not exclude cancer. Their main use is in the primary staging of patients known to have cancer, to evaluate the completeness of primary surgery, to follow-up patients for early detection of relapses, and to monitor the effect of cytotoxic or radiation therapy of advanced disease. In all these applications, good clinical judgement is the necessary basis for using these assays.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1994

Reduction of serum prostate-specific antigen during endocrine or cytotoxic treatment of hormone-resistant cancer of the prostate. A preliminary report.

During the years 1988-1991 sequential serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) determinations were performed during systemic treatment of hormone-resistant prostate cancer. The following drugs were used: prednisone (5 mg 4 times per os daily, 8 patients); flutamide (250 mg 3 times per os daily, 13 patients); estramustine phosphate (280 mg 2-3 times per os daily, 12 patients), and epirubicin (100 mg/m2 i.v. every 3rd week, 18 patients). In 3, 3, 4 and 6 patients, respectively, a PSA reduction of > or = 50% was observed during treatment, which in 12 patients was combined with pain relief and improvement in the performance status. Though the exact mechanism of PSA reduction and its clinical significance are not completely understood, the findings suggest that hormone-resistant prostate cancer still contains hormone-sensitive tumor cells. The 4 drugs used in this study seem to be equally effective in achieving a PSA reduction of > or = 50%.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Homogeneous immunofluorometric assays of alpha-fetoprotein with macroporous, monosized particles and flow cytometry.

We evaluated two homogeneous immunofluorometric assays (IFMAs) of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) based on new macroporous acrylate particles combined with flow cytometry. The standard IFMA, requiring 1 h of incubation, provided a working range from 1.8 to > 900 kIU/L (CV < 10%) and a detection limit of 0.6 kIU/L. Use of overnight incubation and a lower particle concentration extended the working range by 1 decade in the lower end. Analytical recoveries for the standard IFMA varied between 97% and 108%. The slope and y-intercept of the regression line correlating measurements by the standard IFMA and a routine immunoradiometric assay were not significantly different from 1 and 0, respectively (P > 0.5), and the correlation coefficient was 0.996. High precision and warning of spuriously high measurements were obtained by including in each sample separate particle types for detecting instrument instability and measuring nonspecific binding only.

Acrylates↗
PubMed1993

Optimalized in vivo production of monoclonal antibodies in mouse ascitic fluid.

The note contains a brief summary of the method in use at the National Institute of Public Health for the production of monoclonal antibodies in mouse ascitic fluid. This method of obtaining large amounts of monoclonal antibodies is widely used. Refining the in vivo method and increasing the yield from each mouse could result in a reduction of the number of animals used.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Increased serum creatine kinase BB and neuron specific enolase following head injury indicates brain damage.

The aim of this study was to examine whether an increase in the serum concentrations of the two brain enzymes creatine kinase BB (CK-BB) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) can be demonstrated in patients with acute head injury and whether such an increase reflects release from damaged brain tissue. In 60 patients who had suffered minor to severe head injury, serial blood samples were drawn during the first hours after impact, and CK-BB and NSE were measured by radioimmunoassay. Computed tomography (CT) was also performed shortly after admission to hospital, and was repeated 1-3 days later in selected patients. Increased serum concentrations of both CK-BB and NSE were found in 88% of the patients with moderate to severe head injury (group 1, n = 18) and in 23% of the patients with minor head injury (group 2, n = 42), whereas CT showed contusion in only 41% and 2% of the group 1 and 2 patients, respectively. The following findings suggest that the enzymes had been released from brain tissue: 1) The maximum concentrations of CK-BB and NSE correlated with the severity of injury as assessed clinically and with the volume of contusion as estimated from CT (r = 0.79 with CK-BB, r = 0.72 with NSE). 2) The maximum concentrations of CK-BB and NSE were closely correlated (r = 0.87).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Neuron-specific enolase as a prognostic factor in metastatic malignant melanoma.

Serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was measured in 63 patients with metastatic malignant melanoma. 20 patients (32%) had elevated serum NSE (> 10 micrograms/l) before the start of treatment. Another 13 patients (21%) developed pathological NSE values during the course of the disease. In many patients, elevated NSE was related to a large tumour burden, and a gradual rise in serum NSE indicated disease progression. Patients with elevated pretreatment NSE had a median survival time of 3 months compared with 12 months for those with normal pretreatment NSE values. NSE thus proved to be a useful prognostic factor in metastatic malignant melanoma.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1992

89Strontium in bone metastases from hormone resistant prostate cancer: palliation effect and biochemical changes.

Hematological and biochemical parameters were evaluated in 31 patients receiving 150 MBq 89Strontium (89Sr) intravenously due to painful skeletal metastases from hormone resistant prostate cancer. Two and 3 months after the injection prostate specific antigen (PSA) had increased by a median of 36% and 100%, respectively, as compared to the pretreatment value whereas alkaline phosphatase (APHOS) had decreased by about 20% (median). The leucocyte and platelet counts were reduced by about 20-35%, without reaching grade greater than or equal to 2 toxicity. Pain relief was reported in 14 of 29 evaluable patients at 2 months and in 11 of 23 patients at 3 months. It is concluded that 89Sr represents a worthwhile therapeutic modality in the palliation treatment of patients with hormone resistant prostate cancer, though the biological significance of frequently increasing PSA and decreasing APHOS is not yet completely understood.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

The prognostic significance of prostate specific antigen in metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer.

Twenty-seven of 152 patients (18%) with progressing hormone resistant prostate cancer had normal serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA less than or equal to 10 micrograms l-1), when referred for secondary treatment. PSA was significantly correlated with the extent of skeletal metastases (R: 0.35) and the levels of hemoglobin (R: -0.19) and serum alkaline phosphatase (R: 0.30). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis the survival of the 152 patients was not correlated with the PSA level but with the patients performance status, the level of hemoglobin, and the time between primary hormone treatment and relapse. The lack of serum PSA to predict survival may be explained by a heterogenous composition of hormone resistant prostate cancer as regards differentiated and/or PSA producing vs undifferentiated and/or PSA non-producing cells.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Neuron-specific enolase--a serum tumour marker in seminoma?

The clinical significance of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as a tumour marker was evaluated in 54 patients with seminoma. Before orchiectomy NSE was elevated in six out of 21 patients with stage I seminoma and 11 out of 16 patients with metastases. After orchiectomy NSE normalised in all evaluated stage I cases, but was still elevated in six out of 12 patients with metastatic disease. NSE monitored the effect of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with metastases. In some patients, increased serum NSE was found together with raised levels of human choriogonadotropin (HCG) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), while in others only NSE was elevated. No false positive NSE values were observed. NSE seems to be a clinically worthwhile serum tumour marker for monitoring seminoma patients, with a sensitivity and specificity of the same order as HCG.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1992

Prostate-specific antigen and other prognostic factors in patients with hormone-resistant prostatic cancer undergoing experimental treatment.

In 58 patients with progressive hormone-resistant metastatic cancer of the prostate, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) greater than 100 micrograms/l, haemoglobin less than 12.0 g/dl and pronounced fatigue were found to be independent adverse prognostic factors. These risk factors distinguished a subgroup of patients with a median survival of 9 months (none or only 1 risk factor present) from a subgroup with a median survival of 4 months (greater than or equal to 2 risk factors present). The clinician should be reluctant to enter patients from the second group into complicated and resource-demanding clinical studies, particularly if such trials require frequent and inconvenient follow-up examinations.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Prediction of pelvic lymph node metastases by a prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase in clinical T3/T4M0 prostatic cancer.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) were determined in the serum of 69 patients with clinical T3/T4M0 prostatic cancer before staging lymphadenectomy. In principle, high-dose radiotherapy was given only to patients of pathological N0 category. Seventeen patients had a prelymphadenectomy PSA level below the normal upper reference limit (10 micrograms/l) and only 3 of them had pelvic lymph node metastases. Fifteen of 52 patients with a preoperative PSA level > or = 10 micrograms/l were of N0 category. Only 8 of the 41 evaluable patients had PAP values above the normal range, and 6 of these 8 patients had pelvic lymph node metastases. Preoperative PSA values, but not preoperative PAP levels, assist the clinician in predicting regional lymph node metastases in patients with clinical T3/T4M0 prostatic cancer. Two-thirds of the patients with T3/T4 tumours and PSA values between 10 and 50 micrograms/l have regional lymph node metastases. About 80% of the patients with PSA levels < 10 micrograms/l belong to the N0 category. About 75% of the patients with PSA > 50 micrograms/l have N+ disease. Taking into account the individual preoperative PSA values, the indication for preradiotherapy staging lymphadenectomy should be balanced between the chance of demonstrating N+ disease, the expected postoperative morbidity and the benefit for the patient found to be of N0 category.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1991

Thyroglobulin in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Thyroglobulin (Tg) is a sensitive marker for detection of metastatic disease in patients who have been operated on for differentiated thyroid carcinoma. A high serum Tg value during thyroxine suppression therapy is indicative of metastatic disease, but the sensitivity is enhanced by the endogenous TSH response occurring when thyroxine medication is withheld. False-negative values before thyroxine withdrawal can be demonstrated in about 20% of the patients in our material. If not all thyroid tissue has been eradicated the interpretation of the serum Tg can be difficult. Tg cannot be used to differentiate benign from malignant disease prior to surgery.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1990

Neuron specific enolase (NSE) in serum of patients with malignant melanoma.

Serial measurements of serum NSE were performed in 63 patients with metastatic melanoma. NSE was measured by a sensitive immunoradiometric assay based upon monoclonal anti-bodies with monodisperse magnetizable particles as the solid phase. Increased NSE values were found in 30 patients (48%) during the course of the disease. In 10 patients serum NSE normalized during systemic therapy. In 11 patients with initial normal serum NSE, the marker values became elevated as the tumor progressed.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗