NEOPTERIN IN PATIENTS WITH CHOROIDAL MELANOMA

Neopterin excretion in urine and the serum concentrations of neopterin were compared in 101 patients with a malignant melanoma of the choroi d and in a matched group of healthy volunteers. The majority of cases (n = 99) presented an untreated (n = 20) or treated and either partial ly (n = 33) or completely regressed (n = 47) melanoma of stage I-III w ithout signs of extraocular manifestation at the time of analyses. The incidence of elevated neopterin concentrations in all melanoma patien ts beyond the upper limit (xBAR + 2 S. D. of healthy controls) was 16% for both serum and urine. In patients with critical events, for examp le orbital infiltration or delayed metastatic disease during the subse quent follow-up period (at least 14 months), the neopterin concentrati ons were at the higher end of distribution. One patient with verified metastatic disease at the time of analysis presented extremely elevate d neopterin concentrations in serum (82.3 nmol/l) and urine (1608 mumo l/mol creatinine). It seems that the results of neopterin analyses are informative as a prognostic factor for the follow-up of patients with a malignant melanoma of the choroid.