Abstract
Serum enzyme activities (aldolase, lacticodehydrogenase, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase) have been studied in patients bearing malignant tumours, and their modification after radiotherapy has been followed.
It was concluded that:
1) In 109 tumour-bearing patients the aldolase was increased in the 68.8 per cent of the cases; the LDH in the 51.3 per cent. Such increase, which is scarcely influenced by the tumour nature and site (except for the tumours of the digestive apparatus, with paranormal values, and liver tumours, with very high values), is particularly depending on the tumour extent and spread.
2) The glutamic-oxalacetic and glutamic-pyruvic transaminases did not undergo significant changes in patients bearing extrahepatic tumours.
3) In subjects showing no established tumours, the radiotherapy did not induce significant enzyme modifications.
4) In 75 cancer patients treated with radiotherapy, the enzyme activities showed some modifications; these, however, cannot be considered as clinically significant, being neither constant nor uniform. Independently of the radiation dose administered and of the duration of the therapy, an improvement has been accompanied by a return to normal of the enzyme activities, whereas a further growth of the tumour was paralleled by an enzyme increase. It is therefore assumed that the dosage of serum enzyme activities may give valuable indications for the good or bad result of the radiating treatment.
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