Time-of-flight mass spectrometry in screening serum-specific protein in patients with scrotal Paget's disease.

The weak cationic chip (WCX2) and the surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) were used to test the serum differential proteins in 20 healthy persons, 20 patients with chronic scrotal eczema, and 30 patients with scrotal Paget's disease and test the specificity and sensitivity of screening scrotal Paget's disease with differential proteins. We found that the differences between the 5 protein peaks of the normal group and the scrotal Paget's disease group in the range of 2000 to 30 000 Da were statistically significant (P < .01) and the difference of 3 protein peaks between the scrotal eczema group and the scrotal Paget's disease group in the range of 2000 to 30 000 Da was statistically significant (P < .05). SELDI-TOS-MS technique has certain application value in the early diagnosis of the scrotal Paget's disease and screening for the specific tumor markers.