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An Evaluation of the Bolen Test as a Screening Test for Malignancy^*

(From the Departments of Surgery and Medicine, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.)

We have screened 505 patients for malignancy by the Bolen test. There were 66 positive tests, of which 12 were substantiated by histologic evidence of malignant neoplasm, while 54 appear to be false positives. With one exception, all the false positive tests subsequently reverted to negative.

There were 14 histologically proved cancers in the entire group of 505 patients. Two of these tumors gave repeated negative reactions to the Bolen test.

We may conclude that a negative Bolen test does not exclude the diagnosis of cancer. Nor does a positive test necessarily indicate the presence of cancer. However, a positive test should be followed by intense diagnostic effort before the diagnosis of malignant neoplasm is abandoned.

^* Aided in part by Grant CT 619 USPHS and by a grant from Missouri Division, American Cancer Society.

Received 8/ 2/50.