Urinary polyamines in cancer patients.

Abstract

Summary Patients with histologically diagnosed tumors and leukemias have an average 24-hr excretion value for polyamines that is severalfold greater than that detectable in “normals”. In leukemias, the excretion level declines when the patients are in remission. After surgery for the removal of a portion of a solid tumor mass, polyamine levels in the urine decreased to near normal in all cases. It is possible, therefore, that polyamine excretion levels could serve as (a) a tool to monitor cancer and (b) a test that could lead to an early detection of cancer.