Abstract
Summary
The ether, neutral, and phenolic fractions of the urine of normal individuals and of patients with carcinoma of the breast, cervix, gastrointestinal tract, and with various leukemias were analyzed polarographically. Reducible compounds were found in all the fractions. In the urine phenolic fraction the ratio (of the number of polarographically reducible compounds with an E 1/2 more negative than—0.5 V vs SCE to that more positive than—0.5 V) was significantly different for male and female patients with gastrointestinal cancer as compared to normal persons of both sexes. There was no difference in this ratio between the neutral urine fraction of normal persons and cancer patients. The ether fraction of the urine of males with gastrointestinal cancer had a much higher ratio (number of compounds with an E 1/2 more negative than—0.5 V vs SCE/number of compounds with E 1/2 more positive than —0.5 V) than that of the same fraction of normal males. Finally a significant difference was found in the ratio (of the number of reducible compounds with an E 1/2 more negative than—0.76 V vs SCE to that more positive than—0.76 V) of the ether fraction of normal male urine as compared with that of men with gastrointestinal cancer. Patients with various types of cancer did not excrete reducible compounds characteristic of any form of this disease.
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