PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - JAUME TRAPE
AU  - JORDI ALIGUE
AU  - MIREIA VICENTE
AU  - ANNA ARNAU
AU  - ANTONIO SAN-JOSE
AU  - JOSEP ORDEIG
AU  - ROSER ORDEIG
AU  - MARIONA BONET
AU  - ANDRES ABRIL
AU  - OMAR EL-BOUTROUKI
AU  - CAROLINA GONZALEZ-FERNANDEZ
AU  - MARIA SALA
AU  - CRISTINA FIGOLS
AU  - ELISABETH GONZALEZ-GARCIA
AU  - LOURDES MONTSANT
AU  - DOMINGO RUIZ
TI  - Tumour Markers in the Differential Diagnosis of Patients With Isolated Involuntary Weight Loss
AID  - 10.21873/invivo.12634
DP  - 2021 Nov 01
TA  - In Vivo
PG  - 3361--3367
VI  - 35
IP  - 6
4099  - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/35/6/3361.short
4100  - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/35/6/3361.full
SO  - In Vivo2021 Nov 01; 35
AB  - Background/Aim: Paraneoplastic syndrome symptoms include isolated involuntary weight loss (IIWL). The differential diagnosis of cancer from other diseases may require a significant number of tests. Tumour markers (TMs) can be used for the diagnosis and stratification of patients according to cancer risk. Patients and Methods: This study included 606 patients (48% females) seen at the rapid diagnostic unit for IIWL. We determined the levels of TMs carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, soluble fragments of cytokeratin 19, carbohydrate antigen 15-3, carbohydrate antigen 125, neuron specific enolase, alpha-fetoprotein, prostatic specific antigen using the multiparametric analyser COBAS 601. Two cut-off points were established, the upper reference limit described by the manufacturer and a high cut-off point suggested by Molina et al., to stratify patients according to cancer risk. Results: Patients were classified according to TM levels as follows: I) all TMs below the upper reference limit; II) highest number of TMs between the two cut-offs; III) at least one TM above the higher cut-off. The odds ratio for malignancy was 4.3 for group II and 248 for group III. These results indicate that when at least one TM is above the higher cut-off, neoplasia is highly probable. Conclusion: TM determination allowed to establish cancer risk in patients with IIWL.