Tissue Polypeptide Antigen (TPA)

Tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) is a circulating complex of polypeptide fragments from cytokeratins 8, 18 and 19. It is a tumour-related protein. TPA is an indicator of higher cell proliferation. One function of TP53 is the suppression of apoptosis. TP53 mutations are frequently correlated with tumour development in bladder cancer. One function of TP53 is the suppression of apoptosis. TPA is an indicator of higher cell proliferation.A series of tumor markers were found to be within normal limits except TPA, which was elevated three times above the upper normal limit. The presence of another primary tumor was excluded by history taking, physical examination, blood tests, and various radiological and nuclear imaging. Following two courses of chemotherapy, the patients skin condition improved, and her serum TPA level returned to normal. These findings suggest that serum TPA may prove to be clinically significant in a subset of patients with mycosis fungoides.