Open AccessExpression of beta-2-microglobulin by nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Author(s) -
W. Shiu,
Sing-fai Leung,
WK Leung,
Stephen Ho,
Meimei Tao
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
british journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.833
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1532-1827
pISSN - 0007-0920
DOI - 10.1038/bjc.1992.313
Subject(s) - nasopharyngeal carcinoma , beta 2 microglobulin , beta (programming language) , stage (stratigraphy) , carcinoma , medicine , disease , gastroenterology , pathology , oncology , radiation therapy , biology , paleontology , computer science , programming language
Serum beta-2-microglobulin (beta 2M) levels of 274 Chinese patients with different stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma at presentation and that of 35 patients who developed distant metastases post-treatment were assayed. beta 2M level was found to increase with advancing stage of disease, with statistically significant differences among early-stage, advanced-stage, and metastatic disease. Elevated pre-treatment beta 2M levels were expressed more frequently by tumours with lower degree of histological differentiation. The sensitivity of serum beta 2M for diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, however, is low.