Mass screening of neuroblastoma in infancy
T. Sawada, S. Todo, K. Fujita, S. Iino, S. Imashuku and T. Kusunoki
A vanillylmandelic acid spot test for screening infants for neuroblastoma
was developed in cooperation with 11 health centers in Kyoto, Japan. In
this system, the parent sends a filter paper spotted with the infant's
urine at 6 or 7 months of age. From 78,331 infants screened during the six
years from July 1973 to September 1979, four asymptomatic infants with
neuroblastoma were discovered. Three of them have already completed their
treatments and have recovered. The cost of screening 13,000 infants per
year was $7,500. One false-negative test was encountered, as were a number
of false-positive tests.
