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Institute for Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, and
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Department for Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Innsbruck, Fritz Pregl Strasse 3, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
a Author for correspondence. Fax 43-512-507-2865; e-mail Dietmar.Fuchs{at}uibk.ac.at
Background: Neopterin, produced by human monocytes/macrophages
upon stimulation by interferon-
, is a sensitive marker for
monitoring Th1-cell immune response in humans. In malignant diseases,
the frequency of increases in neopterin in the serum and urine of
patients depends on tumor stage and type.
Methods: In a retrospective study comprising 129 females with breast cancer, urinary neopterin/creatinine ratios were measured at the time of diagnosis. Tumor characteristics were determined concomitantly.
Results: Urinary neopterin was increased in 18% of the patients. It did not correlate with tumor size or lymph node status, but it was influenced by the presence of distant metastases (P <0.05) and by tumor differentiation (P = 0.01). When product-limit estimates were calculated after follow-up for up to 13 years (median follow-up, 56 months), the presence of distant metastases (P <0.001), neopterin (P <0.001), tumor size (P = 0.001), and lymph node status (P <0.01) were significant predictors of survival. By multivariate analysis, a combination of the variables presence of distant metastases (P <0.001), neopterin (P <0.01), and lymph node status (P <0.05) was found to jointly predict survival. In lymph node-negative patients without distant metastases, the relative risk of death associated with increased neopterin concentrations was 2.5 compared with patients with neopterin concentrations within the reference interval.
Conclusion: Urinary neopterin provides additional prognostic information in patients with breast cancer.
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K. Schroecksnadel, B. Frick, and D. Fuchs Re: Plasma Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Homocysteine, and Risk of Breast Cancer J Natl Cancer Inst, July 16, 2003; 95(14): 1091 - 1091. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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H. Schennach, C. Murr, C. Larcher, W. Streif, E. Pastner, D. Zaknun, D. Schonitzer, and D. Fuchs Neopterin Concentrations in Cord Blood: A Single-Cohort Study of Paired Samples from 541 Pregnant Women and Their Newborns Clin. Chem., November 1, 2002; 48(11): 2059 - 2061. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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H. Schennach, C. Murr, E. Gachter, P. Mayersbach, D. Schonitzer, and D. Fuchs Factors Influencing Serum Neopterin Concentrations in a Population of Blood Donors Clin. Chem., April 1, 2002; 48(4): 643 - 645. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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