[Serum tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) in patients with urogenital cancer]

We measured the serum TPA level in 260 patients with benign urogenital diseases, 189 patients with urogenital cancer and 72 healthy blood donors by using a radio-immunoassay kit in order to evaluate its usefulness as an indicator for the presence of cancer. TPA value (mean +/- 2SD) in healthy blood donors was in the range of 36.8-110.8 units per liter, so that values higher than 110 U/L were considered to be abnormal. Significantly higher serum TPA levels were observed in patients with non-treated cancers, compared to healthy blood donors. But elevated serum TPA levels were also observed in the patients with benign diseases, especially in cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia with urinary tract infection. Consequently, it is considered that the serum TPA test is very useful for detecting urogenital diseases, but not for screening urogenital cancer. In cases of urogenital cancer, serum TPA levels elevated significantly by recurrence or recrudescence of the disease. Therefore, a good correlation was established between serum TPA and the efficiency of a given therapy in patients with prostatic cancer and bladder cancer.