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Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1999;80:F118-F122 doi:10.1136/fn.80.2.F118
  • Original article

Blood concentrations of pancreatitis associated protein in neonates: relevance to neonatal screening for cystic fibrosis

  1. Jacques Sarlesa,h,
  2. Sandrine Barthellemya,
  3. Claude Férecb,
  4. Juan Iovannaa,
  5. Michel Rousseyd,
  6. Jean-Pierre Farriauxf,
  7. Annick Toutaine,
  8. Jacques Berthelotg,
  9. Nicole Maurinh,
  10. Jean-Pierre Codetc,
  11. Patrice Berthézènea,
  12. Jean-Charles Dagorna
  1. aINSERM U.315 Marseille, France, bCentre de Biogénétique, CDTS Brest, cService de Médecine Nucléaire, CHU Brest, dCentres de Dépistage Régionaux of Bretagne, Rennes, eCentre, Tours, fNord-Pas de Calais, Lille, gPays de Loire, Angers, hProvence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Marseille
  1. Dr J-C Dagorn U.315 INSERM 46 Boulevard de la Gaye 13258 Marseille Cedex 09 France. Email: dagorn{at}marseille.inserm.fr
  • Accepted 26 October 1998

Abstract

AIM To determine whether pancreatitis associated protein (PAP) is a marker for cystic fibrosis which could be used in neonatal screening for the disease.

METHODS PAP was assayed on screening cards from 202 807 neonates. Babies with PAP ≥ 15 ng/ml, or ≥ 11.5 ng/ml and immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) ≥ 700 ng/ml were recalled for clinical examination, sweat testing, and cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene analysis.

RESULTS Median PAP value was 2.8 ng/ml. Forty four cases of cystic fibrosis were recorded. Recalled neonates (n=398) included only 11 carriers. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that PAP above 8.0 ng/ml would select 0.76% of babies, including all those with cystic fibrosis, except for one with meconium ileus and two with mild CFTR mutations. Screening 27 146 babies with both PAP and IRT showed that only 0.12% had PAP > 8.0 ng/ml and IRT > 700 ng/ml, including all cases of cystic fibrosis.

CONCLUSION PAP is increased in most neonates with cystic fibrosis and could be used for CF screening. Its combination with IRT looks promising.

  • CF neonatal screening with PAP is technically feasible in the same environment as other neonatal screenings (PKU, hypothyroidism)

  • CF neonatal screening with PAP alone performs similarly to screening with IRT alone, with less carrier detection

  • Combining PAP with IRT for CF neonatal screening could be as efficient as the IRT/DNA strategy, but would be cheaper and incur limited carrier detection

  • If a legal requirement for informed consent before DNA testing has expired, the PAP/IRT strategy would be an alternative to the IRT/DNA strategy

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