DETECTION OF MALIGNANCY-ASSOCIATED METABOLITES IN THE SERA OF CANCER-PATIENTS BY ELECTRON-CAPTURE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY

A reliable test that detects malignancy and indicates response to ther apy is needed. Frequency-pulsed electron-capture gas-liquid chromatogr aphy (FPEC-GLC), a selective analytical technique that is sensitive to 15 fmol quantities of metabolites, was used to analyse derivatised ac idic chloroform extracts of sera from patients with biopsy-proven canc er, non-malignant infectious and non-infectious disease, and healthy c ontrols. Two peaks designated P1 and P10, not found in serum from heal thy controls (n = 7) or patients with non-malignant disease (n = 85), were detected in biopsy-proven samples (n = 52) from cancer patients. P1 and P10 were later shown by chemical and mass spectral studies to b e carboxylic acids. When one or both of these peaks were detected in t he sera of non-treated patients they were always associated with malig nancy. In patients responding to therapy, a reduction or disappearance of these peaks was observed. Further, it was noted that P10 persisted or increased in sera of patients with progressive cancer not respondi ng to therapy. We conclude that this test has potential in diagnosis a nd for following the response of the disease to therapy.