Clinical observation on serum seromucoid in patients with malignant neoplasm -Relationship between serum seromucoid values in patients with cancer of the lung or cervix and with treatment for cancer

Abstract

Serum seromucoid values were measured in 30 controls, 21 patients with cancer of the lung and 30 patients with cancer of the cervix. The following results were obtained. 1) The values of serum seromucoid in patients with cancer of the lung were related to the severity of the clinical lesion. But in the cases (66.7%) with localized lesion the seromucoid values were unchanged from normal, so in these cases the measurement of serum seromucoid values is little useful as a diagnostic tool. On the other hand, change of serum seromucoid values was almost reflected to the enlargement or reduction of carcinoma. Therefore, the measurement of serum seromucoid value may be a useful index of monitoring the effectiveness of its treatment and assessing the recurrence or relapse of carcinoma. Serum seromucoid was remarkably increased just before the death. 2) In patients with cancer of the cervix, the normal seromucoid value was over half of the number. Therefore, the measurement of serum seromucoid value may be little useful for the diagnosis of cancer of the cervix. Change of serum seromucoid values was reflected to the reduction or disappearance of carcinoma by its treatment, and is possibly reflected to the infiltration to the adjacent organs or the survival of carcinoma. 3) In patients with cancer of the lung or cervix, relationship between serum seromucoid value and blood sedimentation rate or α1-globulin content was more correlated in patients with cancer of the lung than in patients with cancer of the cervix. 4) In patients with cancer of the lung or cervix, the value of serum seromucoid was related to its clinical stage. Particularly, there was the significant rank correlation between primary tumor size and serum seromucoid value. If the occurrence of distant metastasis was in patients with cancer of the lung, these serum values showed a tendency to be higher than values of patients with no distant metastasis. 5) In patients with cancer of the lung, when the quotient of serum seromucoid (value after radiotherapy/before radiotherapy) is below 1.0 and its serum value shows abnormally high value just after radiotherapy, or when the quotient is above 1.0, the prognosis of the patients is as if poor. 6) In cases with cancer of the cervix with no complications of other disorders, when the quotient of serum seromucoid is below 1.0 and its serum value is abnormally high just after radiotherapy, or when the quotient is above 1.0, any optimism of the prognosis of the patients may not be warranted