Shantaram Manjula, Rao Anjali, Aroor Annaya Rao, Raja Annaswamy, Rao Suryanrayana, Monteiro Flama
Department of Biochemistry, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2009 Jul;12(3):162-6. doi: 10.4103/0972-2327.56315.
Glycoconjugate molecules expressed at the plasma membrane of mammalian cells have been reported to be associated with tumor progression. The measurement of total sialic acid (TSA) and lipid-bound sialic acid (LBSA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is suggested to be useful for the diagnosis of brain tumors. But there are very few reports available on the serum glycoconjugate levels in patients with brain tumors.
The objective of this study is to check the feasibility of using serum glycoconjugates such as TSA and LBSA as tumor markers in brain tumor patients.
Colorimetric estimation of TSA using diphenylamine was done on 100 patients with intracranial tumors; follow-up study was carried out in 24 cases. The LBSA fraction was isolated from the serum of 68 brain tumor patients and evaluated using phosphotungstic acid and resorcinol; follow-up study was done on 23 patients. The various types of brain tumors included in this study were glioma, meningioma, and acoustic neurinoma as well as some other types such as medulloblastoma, secondary tumors, and craniopharyngioma.
There was no significant difference between the TSA and LBSA concentrations seen in pretreatment or post-treatment cases and that seen in control subjects.
TSA and LBSA do not have the ability to discriminate between benign and malignant brain tumors. TSA and LBSA appear to be tumor markers of very limited value in patients with brain tumors.
据报道，哺乳动物细胞质膜上表达的糖缀合物分子与肿瘤进展相关。脑脊液（CSF）中总唾液酸（TSA）和脂质结合唾液酸（LBSA）的测定被认为对脑肿瘤的诊断有用。但关于脑肿瘤患者血清糖缀合物水平的报道非常少。
本研究的目的是检验使用血清糖缀合物如TSA和LBSA作为脑肿瘤患者肿瘤标志物的可行性。
对100例颅内肿瘤患者采用二苯胺比色法测定TSA；对24例患者进行随访研究。从68例脑肿瘤患者的血清中分离出LBSA组分，并用磷钨酸和间苯二酚进行评估；对23例患者进行随访研究。本研究纳入的各类脑肿瘤包括胶质瘤、脑膜瘤、听神经瘤以及其他一些类型，如髓母细胞瘤、继发性肿瘤和颅咽管瘤。
治疗前或治疗后病例的TSA和LBSA浓度与对照组相比无显著差异。
TSA和LBSA无法区分良性和恶性脑肿瘤。TSA和LBSA在脑肿瘤患者中似乎是价值非常有限的肿瘤标志物。
