STRONG ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HYPERFERRITINEMIA AND METASTATIC DISEASE IN NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA

We have investigated the role of serum ferritin, in relation to diseas e stages, in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Patients with loc alised disease (He's stage I-IV) had levels which were not significant ly different from age, sex matched normal subjects and there was no re lationship between mean serum ferritin levels and stage. However, in p atients with metastatic disease levels were grossly elevated with mean levels increased more than 6-fold compared to normal subjects and pat ients with localised disease. Furthermore, among the small group of pa tients with localised disease but hyperferritinaemia, the subsequent d evelopment of metastatic disease within 1 year was significantly much higher (32.4%) than in those with levels falling within the reference range (10.3%), Hyperferritinaemia is strongly associated with, and may predict, metastatic disease in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma . Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd