OBJECTIVE: The measurement of tumor-associated antigen as tumor makers in the serum is useful for early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and the determination of remission after therapy in cases of malignancy. A tumor-associated antigen is not always present in all the cells forming the tumor and also be detected in other tumors or normal organs. Tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) is a single polypeptide chain without carbohydrate. TPA has immunosuppresive properties in patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the cytokeratin tumor marker TPA in early diagnosis of patients with the gynecologic cancer. METHODS: In this study, the levels of TPA were measured in the serum of 61 patients with benign gynecologic tumors, 24 patients with malignant gynecologic neoplasms, and 38 healthy nonpregnant females. Serum TPA level was measured by a "sandwitch technique based" radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: As a result, serum TPA level was 30.4+/-7.6 U/L in control group, 32.6+/-9.4 U/L in benign gynecologic tumor group, 39.1+/-9.8 U/L in malignant gynecologic neoplasm. Serum TPA level was 56.6+/-7.0 U/L in ovarian cancer group. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of TPA was increased in the ovarian cancer group, but it does not seem to be a useful tumor maker for non-ovarian cancer. It would seem that measurement of TPA is useful for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female ; Humans ; Keratins ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Radioimmunoassay ; Tissue Polypeptide Antigen*

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EH) is a rate pulmonary vascular malignancy. Clinically, EH has been considered as an indolent, generally non-aggressive tumor. We report a case of EH which was confirmed by open lung biopsy. A 34-year-old woman was admitted for further evaluation of multiple small (less than 2cm in size) nodules, incidentally detected on screening chest radiograph. The chest CT showed multiple, relatively well-marginated, variable sized nodules at both whole lung. Transbronchial lung biopsy and transthoracic needle aspiration were nondiagnostic and open lung biopsy was performed from right middle lobe of lung. On light-microscopic examination, the nodules were composed of a poorly cellular hyaline core and a more cellular peripheral zone which extended into air space in a micropolypoid fashion and obliterated blood vessels. The tumor cells at the peripheral zone had intracytoplasmic vacuoles which suggested primitive, vascular differentiation. Immuno-histochemical study revealed the cellular area which gave positive reaction to factor VIII-related antigen. She received no specific therapy after open lung biopsy and chest X-ray films had showed no change for about two years.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Female ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid* ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Lung ; Mass Screening ; Needles ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vacuoles ; von Willebrand Factor ; X-Ray Film