Abstract
The level of urinary keratin was compared in patients with and without bladder cancer using the newly developed IRMAK-18. Patients with bladder cancer had higher levels of keratin (74.6 ± 146.9) than normals (2.5 ± 4.7). When the upper limit of normal was set at keratin <20 ng./ml., the test was highly specific (98%) for bladder cancer but had a sensitivity of only 46%. Adjusting to keratin <10 ng./ml. increased the sensitivity to 57% but decreased the specificity to 91%. Elevated keratins were associated with stage and grade, aneuploidy and disease history. The IRMAK-18 assay for keratin may be useful for monitoring the clinical progress of some patients.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 436-439 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Urology |
Volume | 140 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - 1988 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Urology