Elevation of putrescine and spermidine in sera of patients with solid tumors

Abstract

Serum polyamine levels of patients with solid tumors have been analyzed by a modified liquid chromatography method. In this study, putrescine was found to be the best systemic marker for the solid tumors examined. Putrescine values from sera of cancer patients were considerably higher than the corresponding mean values from normal subjects. Spermidine determinations were higher than normal in 75% of sera examined while spermine values were only occasionally elevated. Determination of serum polyamines appear promising as a potential systemic indicator of malignant diseases.