Levels of serum cathepsin L and several glycosidases in patients operated for colorectal cancer

The activities of several glycosidases and cathepsin L were determined in t he blood serum of a control group of ten healthy humans in comparison with a group (group I: 32 subjects) of preoperative colorectal cancer patients ( 1 week before surgical exeresis) and with another two groups: group II, com prising 18 operated subjects (1 week after surgery), and group III, of 15 o perated subjects (4 months after surgery). All subjects were 48-88 years ol d. Both 'enzyme activity' and 'specific activity' determinations of serum b eta-galactosidase, alpha-L-fucosidase and cathepsin L revealed peculiar pro files that differed from one another. Control values differed from those of some stages of the pathological groups, but not of others. These values we re compared also with the levels of total, lipid- and glycoprotein-associat ed serum sialic acid. The usefulness of some assays (especially cathepsin L activity measurement) in the follow-up of the health status of humans oper ated for colorectal cancer is discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.