Elevated levels of serum aldolase A in patients with renal cell carcinoma

To clarify whether serum aldolase A is a useful biomarker for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we determined serum levels of the aldolase A isozyme by an enzyme immunoassay in patients suffering from RCC, other urological tumors, and benign urological diseases. Forty-six of 126 patients with RCC (37%) had elevated serum aldolase A. The positive rates were 23% in stage I, 40% in stage II, 63% in stage III, and 46% in stage IV. In 10 (83%) of 12 patients whose serum levels had been elevated preoperatively, these were reduced to within the normal range after nephrectomy. Four of 7 patients (57%) with progressive disease had elevated levels of aldolase A. In contrast, the positive rates were only 9.9% in 71 patients with other urological tumors and 5.8% in 52 cases of benign urological diseases. High concentrations of aldolase A isozyme in RCC tissues might be reflected in elevated serum levels. The present findings indicate that serum aldolase A is a useful biomarker for monitoring the clinical course of patients with RCC.