Serum levels of some acute phase proteins in kidney and urinary tract urothelial cancers.

Early diagnosis of kidney and urothelial cancer requires some new sensitive and specific methods. In this study the diagnostic use of serum alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (alpha 1-AG), coeruloplasmin, alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT), alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-MG) and albumin in patients with kidney, urinary bladder and upper tract urothelial cancer was evaluated. In kidney cancer patients the serum levels of alpha 1-AG, coeruloplasmin and alpha 1-AT were significantly increased over the controls (p < 0.001), however, albumin was decreased (p < 0.005). Sensitivity was relatively high for alpha 1-AG (85%), albumin (85%) and alpha 1-AT (77%). In patients with urinary tract urothelial cancer alpha 1-AG, alpha 1-AT and coeruloplasmin were also increased but not as much as in kidney cancer. Sensitivity of alpha 1-AG (63%), albumin (75%) and alpha 1-AT (66%) was also lower than in kidney cancer. This study has established the relative importance of alpha 1-AT and albumin determination in patients with kidney as well as with urothelial cancer.