Abstract
A mass screening program for neruoblastoma has been conducted since April 1984 in the Tokyo metropolitan area by means of HPLC. Dried urine spots on filter paper from infants aged 6 to 12 months were sent by mail to our laboratory. Urinary cathecholamine metabolytes were extracted in ethylacetate using ten 5mm disks cut from the filter paper samples, and VMA, VLA and HVA were analyzed using HPLC (Shimadzu LC-4A) on reverse-phase ODS column by fluorometric detection. At the same time, the concentration of urine creatinine was measured by Jaffe's method using two 5mm disks. Positive correlation between urinary creatinine and/or VMA and HVA was found, however, the peak of VLA could not be found in normal infants. Since mean values of VMA and HVA in 141 urine samples from normal infants were 10 and 18.3 μg/mg creatinine, 20 and 35 μg/mg creatinine were chosen as the cut off points of VMA and HVA, respectively. Samples from 12484 infants were examined up until Dec. 1984, and 5 cases were recalled for re-examination. Finally 3 out of 5 cases were diagnosed as having neuroblastoma (two cases were stage I and one was stage III), and all cases were operated on successfully.
In conclusion, the qualititative analysis of VMA and HVA of dried urine spots by HPLC is a recomendable method of mass-screening for neuroblastoma in the early stages.
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Matsumoto, M., Anazawa, A., Suzuki, K. et al. 133 URINE MASS SCREENING FOR NEUROBLASTOMA BY HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY (HPLC). Pediatr Res 19, 625 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198506000-00153
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198506000-00153