Summary
A modification of Bendien's reaction between acidified sodium orthovanadate and serum has been applied to a series of 462 serum specimens, including 110 normal controls. Of six reagent mixtures of different compositions, one was found to be more sensitive than the others for the detection of abnormal sera. On the basis of an arbitrary dividing point, allowing 5 per cent falsepositive test results among the normal controls, this reagent mixture gave positive test results as follows: 86 per cent in 76 patients with malignant neoplasms but no known metastases; 96 per cent in 68 patients with malignant neoplasms and known metastases; 62 per cent in 58 patients with benign neoplasms; 67 per cent in 150 patients with miscellaneous non-neoplastic diseases. The low order of specificity speaks against use of the test for diagnostic purposes.
Footnotes
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↵* This work was supported by the Cancer Control Branch (now called Field Investigations and Demonstrations Branch), National Cancer Institute, United States Public Health Service.
- Received October 16, 1953.
- ©1954 American Association for Cancer Research.