			Home About us Contact

PG Test (p&g + test)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Predictive value of pentagastrin test for preoperative differential diagnosis between C-cell hyperplasia and medullary thyroid carcinoma in patients with moderately elevated basal calcitonin levels

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
F. Milone
Summary Background and Objectives, Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a calcitonin (CT)-secreting neuroendocrine tumour originating from thyroid C cells. Serum CT concentrations are helpful in the early detection of MTC, while it is still unclear whether they can be used also for the differential diagnosis between MTC and C-cell hyperplasia (CCH), a precancerous condition in familial MTCs but with unclear clinical significance in sporadic MTCs. Nowadays, surgery is recommended in all patients with basal or pentagastrin (PG)-stimulated CT value of 100 pg/ml or more, without discriminating if they are affected with MTC or CCH only. The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of the PG test for CT in distinguishing CCH from MTC before surgery. Patients and Methods, Sixteen of 20 patients with thyroid nodules and basal CT levels between 15 and 100 ng/l had a positive PG test (>100 ng/l PG CT peak) and form the basis of the data analysis. A diagnosis of MTC was histologically proved on surgical samples in seven patients and of CCH in nine other patients. Four patients with neither FNAB nor PG test consistent with a diagnosis of MTC did not undergo thyroidectomy. Results, A peak of CT of 275 ng/l after PG was able to significantly distinguish patients with MTC from patients with CCH, with 100% sensitivity and 89% specificity (P = 0·002). PG-stimulated calcitonin levels >275 ng/l had a positive predictive value (PPV) value for diagnosis of MTC of 100%, and PG-stimulated calcitonin levels <275 had a PPV for the diagnosis of CCH of 89%. Conclusions, A CT cut-off after PG of 275 ng/l is suggested to be highly predictive in distinguishing CCH from MTC before surgery, and this may be helpful in selecting patients for thyroid surgery. [source]

Using serum pepsinogens wisely in a clinical practice

JOURNAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES, Issue 1 2007
Kazumasa MIKI
Serum pepsinogen (PG) has been used as biomarkers of gastric inflammation and mucosal status, including atrophic change, before the discovery of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Serum pepsinogen I (PG I) and pepsinogen II (PG II) levels are known to increase in the presence of H. pylori -related nonatrophic chronic gastritis. The measurement of serum PG provides much information on the presence of intestinal metaplasia as well as atrophic gastritis. The eradication of H. pylori provokes a significant change in serum PG values: it reduces both PG I and PG II and elevates the PG I to PG II ratio. Recently, the serum PG test method has been the first screening step in Japan, as well as photofluorography. Serum PG tests are used to screen for high risk subjects with atrophic gastritis, rather than as a test for cancer itself. Unlike photofluorography or endoscopy, serum PG screening can identify non-ulcerated differentiated asymptomatic cancer, irrespective of the size and location of the lesion. Most cases detected by the PG method are asymptomatic early gastric cancers and are limited to the mucosa, which are particularly well suited for endoscopic treatment. The PG method can contribute greatly to the patients' quality of life. [source]

EFFICACY OF SERUM PEPSINOGENS IN THE PREDICTION OF ENDOSCOPIC FEATURES OF GASTRITIS

JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 12 2000
Yoshihisa Urita
Objective The efficacy of serum pepsinogen (PG) test is widely accepted as a screening test to select persons for endoscopy in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. In this study, we would like to examine whether serum PG levels give us information on endoscopic findings of gastric mucosa. Materials and methods The serum level of PG++ and PG+, and the PG+/PG, ratio were compared with endoscopic 13C-urea breath. H.pylori status was defined as an increase in the intragastric 13CO2/12CO2 ratio of 10% over baseline. Intestinal metaplasia was made visible as the purple-stained area using a 0.05% crystal violet spraying method. PG level of less than 70,g/L and I PG+/PG, ratio of less than 3 was adopted for a (+) result, and PG level of less than 30,g/L and a PG+/PG, ratio of less than 2 for a (++) result. Results Prevalence of endoscopic features and H. pylori infection in different groups classified by serum PG tests. Conclusions Lintestinal metaplasia was identified in more than 80% of PG positive patients. The prevalence of linear reddness and raised erosion in the antrum were higher in PG (-) group than in PG(+) and (++) groups. H. pylori-positive rate was the highest in PG (+) group. [source]