Elevated tumor markers in hemodialysis patients.

The incidence of elevated tumor markers without clinical signs of malignant disease was examined in 93 patients between the age of 29 and 79 years and on chronic dialysis for 3-240 months. Tissue polypeptide antigen was found to be elevated in 92.5%, carcinoembryonic antigen in 29.8, and alpha-fetoprotein in 6.5%. High levels of tissue polypeptide antigen were accompanied by high levels of beta 2-microglobulin (p less than 0.005). This indicates that tumor markers, and tissue polypeptide antigen in particular, may be unreliable for monitoring malignant disease in patients on hemodialysis.