Mr. Rosbullon et al., SERUM TYROSINE-HYDROXYLASE ACTIVITY IS INCREASED IN MELANOMA PATIENTS- AN ROC CURVE ANALYSIS, Cancer letters, 129(2), 1998, pp. 151-155
We have studied the serum tyrosine hydroxylase activity of tyrosinase,
the key enzyme in the melanogenesis via, as a possible diagnostic fac
tor or marker for detection, prognosis and follow-up of patients with
melanoma. This activity was determined in 30 melanoma patients (MP) an
d in 30 healthy persons (HP) by using a radiometric method. We found m
ean values of 10.8 +/- 3.0 and 7.65 +/- 2.32 mU/1 for serum tyrosine h
ydroxylase activity in MP and HP, respectively. A very significant inc
rease in serum tyrosine hydroxylase activity was observed in MP in com
parison to the enzymatic activity in HP (P < 0.00001). Although these
data seem very conclusive, we wanted to know whether this test could d
iscriminate adequately between MP and HP. In order to reach this aim,
a complete statistical study was performed by using receiver operating
characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The cut-off value obtained was 8
.47 mU/1. According to our results and after analytical treatment of t
he data, we can confirm that evaluation of tyrosine hydroxylase activi
ty in serum could be a quick and reliable diagnostic method for detect
ion, prognosis and follow-up in melanoma patients. (C) 1998 Elsevier S
cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.