CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF TISSUE POLYPEPTIDE ANTIGEN (TPA) IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC-CARCINOMA

The serum values of tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) were measured in a prospective series of too patients with jaundice, 54 patients with s uspicion of chronic pancreatitis or a pancreatic tumour, and 19 patien ts with unjaundiced cholestasis to assess its value in diagnosing panc reatic cancer. There were altogether 25 patients with a cancer of the pancreas including 2 patients with a cancer of the papilla of Vater. T he highest serum TPA values were noticed inpatients with pancreatic ca ncer, but raised values were also seen inpatients with malignant or be nigh liver diseases, and with cholangiocarcinoma. The sensitivity of T PA was 52% with a specificity of 85% and an efficiency of 80%. In comp arison to CEA, CA 50 and CA 242, TPA showed lower sensitivity but high er specificity. When TPA was combined with the other markers, the spec ificity and efficiency improved clearly in all combinations, being hig hest in that of TPA and CA 242 (specificity 94.5%, efficiency 87.2%). The results suggest that the TPA test has a useful complementary role in the clinical use of the current serum tumour markers in the diagnos is of pancreatic cancer.