Diagnostic value of ferritin in malignant pleural and peritoneal effusions

✍ Scribed by Amos Yinnon; Abraham M Konijn; Gabriela Link; Jan Moreb; Chaim Hershko

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 423 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(19881215)62:12<2564::aid-cncr2820621219>3.0.co;2-q

✦ Synopsis

The diagnostic usefulness of ferritin measurements in pleural and peritoneal effusions has been evaluated in 57 patients. Mean (& standard error [SE]) ferritin levels were 291 f 50 ng/ml in 24 patients with noninflammatory transudates (Group I), 942 * 253 in 15 patients with nonmalignant exudates (Group 11), and 1805 f 257 in 18 patients with malignant exudates (Group 111). The mean (+ SE) ratio of effusion/ serum ferritin in Groups I, 11, and 111 was 0.7 f 0.1,2.7 f 0.7, and 5.7 rt 1.2, respectively. The specificity and predictive value of a ferritin ratio in excess of 1.5 in distinguishing transudates from all exudates and in distinguishing transudates from malignant exudates were both very high (94% to 96%). In the lower range of values considerable overlap existed between ferritin ratios obtained in patients with benign versus malignant inflammatory exudates. However, very high ferritin levels (>3000 ng/ml) and ferritin ratios (>20:1) were only encountered in malignant exudates. These results indicate that the measurement of ferritin levels and ferritin ratios may be a useful aid in the diagnosis of malignant pleural and peritoneal effusions.