TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuroblastoma screening in the United States
T2 - Results of the Texas outreach program for neuroblastoma screening
AU - Ater, Joann L.
AU - Gardner, Kristina L.
AU - Foxhall, Lewis E.
AU - Therrell, Brad L.
AU - Archie Bleyer, W.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1998/4/15
Y1 - 1998/4/15
N2 - BACKGROUND. Mass screening of infants for neuroblastoma began in Japan after studies suggested that survival rates could be improved by early detection. This study was initiated in 1991 to test the methodology and feasibility of screening for neuroblastoma within the U.S. health care system. METHODS. Infants ages 5-10 months (mean age, 9 months, 25 days) who were born in Texas were screened for neuroblastoma. An enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) for homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) used to quantify the HVA and VMA was performed on urine extracted from specimens dried on filter paper. Infants were recruited to participate in the study by several methods, and the effectiveness of each method was determined by calculating compliance rates. RESULTS. Between February 1991 and June 1994 a total of 14,046 infants were recruited to participate in neuroblastoma screening. Neuroblastoma was detected in 2 children for an incidence rate of 1 in 7023. A total of 291,158 screening kits were distributed to the parents of these infants, resulting in an overall compliance rate of only 4.8%. Compliance rates varied by method of distribution of the test kits: Houston Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic (53%), volunteers (31%), Rio Grande Valley WIC clinics (14.5%), the patient's private physician (9.9%), and by mall (4.7%). CONCLUSIONS. Early detection of neuroblastoma in infants ages 5-10 months was achieved using ELISA. Compliance rates were poor, but clinics with a preventive health focus, such as the WIG clinics, achieved higher compliance rates than did private physicians.
AB - BACKGROUND. Mass screening of infants for neuroblastoma began in Japan after studies suggested that survival rates could be improved by early detection. This study was initiated in 1991 to test the methodology and feasibility of screening for neuroblastoma within the U.S. health care system. METHODS. Infants ages 5-10 months (mean age, 9 months, 25 days) who were born in Texas were screened for neuroblastoma. An enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) for homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) used to quantify the HVA and VMA was performed on urine extracted from specimens dried on filter paper. Infants were recruited to participate in the study by several methods, and the effectiveness of each method was determined by calculating compliance rates. RESULTS. Between February 1991 and June 1994 a total of 14,046 infants were recruited to participate in neuroblastoma screening. Neuroblastoma was detected in 2 children for an incidence rate of 1 in 7023. A total of 291,158 screening kits were distributed to the parents of these infants, resulting in an overall compliance rate of only 4.8%. Compliance rates varied by method of distribution of the test kits: Houston Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic (53%), volunteers (31%), Rio Grande Valley WIC clinics (14.5%), the patient's private physician (9.9%), and by mall (4.7%). CONCLUSIONS. Early detection of neuroblastoma in infants ages 5-10 months was achieved using ELISA. Compliance rates were poor, but clinics with a preventive health focus, such as the WIG clinics, achieved higher compliance rates than did private physicians.
KW - Cancer
KW - Child
KW - Early detection
KW - Enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay
KW - Homovanillic acid
KW - Infant
KW - Neuroblastoma
KW - Public health
KW - Screening
KW - Vanillylmandelic acid
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U2 - 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19980415)82:8<1593::AID-CNCR23>3.0.CO;2-Z
DO - 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19980415)82:8<1593::AID-CNCR23>3.0.CO;2-Z
M3 - Article
C2 - 9554539
AN - SCOPUS:0032522954
SN - 0008-543X
VL - 82
SP - 1593
EP - 1602
JO - Cancer
JF - Cancer
IS - 8
ER -