Placental alkaline phosphatase levels in cerebrospinal fluid can have a decisive role in the differential diagnosis of intracranial germ cell tumors.

Objective: Placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in CSF can provide a very high diagnostic value in cases of intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs), especially in pure germinomas, to the level of not requiring histological confirmation. Unlike other tumor markers, reliable data analysis with respect to the diagnostic value of PLAP serum or CSF levels has not been available until now. This is the first systematic and comprehensive study examining the diagnostic value of CSF PLAP in patients with intracranial GCTs.

A highly sensitive and specific chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay for placental alkaline phosphatase in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with intracranial germinomas.

Background: Placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been proposed as a tumor marker for intracranial germinomas. The purpose of the present study was to develop a sensitive assay for measuring CSF PLAP and to evaluate the clinical significance of PLAP in patients with germinomas.

Methods: A chemiluminescent enzyme assay for PLAP was developed using an anti-human-PLAP monoclonal antibody.