MASS-SCREENING OF NEUROBLASTOMA USING URINE FROM INFANTS BY HIGHPERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD - RESULTS OF FIRST (6TH MONTH) AND 2ND (14TH MONTH) SCREENING

To detect neuroblastoma in early stages, mass-screening of this tumor was carried out by HPLC method using the urine of six-month-old infant s. Screening began in April, 1981, and a total of 42 cases were detect ed by December, 1994. The incidence of detection was about 1:5,000 bab ies tested. All of these patients have survived without relapses excep t one, who died of surgical complications. Nevertheless, tumors develo ped at later stages in 14 cases from the group which resulted negative at the 6-month screening. To determine whether such tumors could be d etected by a second check, a 14-month screening was carried out, begin ning in April, 1991. By December, 1994, 3 patients with neuroblastoma were found among 41,809 babies tested, and were subsequently treated. While one of these three patients was not screened at 6 months, the ot her two had shown approximate cut-off values in urinary VMA as well as HVA at their 6-month screening. Therefore, if the tumors had already existed at the 6-month screening, and had grown gradually until the se cond check at 14 months, at least some of these tumors were of the lat e-onset variety and could have been detected at an earlier stage.