Patients with head and neck tumors excrete a chondroitin sulfate with a low degree of sulfation: A new tool for diagnosis and follow-up of cancer therapy

The chondroitin sulfate excreted in the urine of 10 patients with cancer of the head and neck and 27 healthy subjects was analyzed. The disaccharide p roducts formed from chondroitin sulfate excreted by these 10 patients by ac tion of chondroitinase ABC show a significant (P < 0.0001) relative increas e of nonsulfated disaccharide (35.6% +/- 5.7%) when compared with the nonsu lfated disaccharide (10.0% +/- 0.9%) present in the chondroitin sulfate of 27 healthy subjects. In 6 patients the structure of the excreted compound w as analyzed up to 4 months after surgery. After removal of the cancer, the percent amounts of the nonsulfated disaccharide tend to approach the values found for the chondroitin sulfate of healthy subjects. A significant (P < 0.0001) change in the ratio of urinary chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulf ate and a decrease in the electrophoretic migration of chondroitin sulfate were also observed. All of the patients with head and neck cancer analyzed so far have shown this structural anomaly of urinary chondroitin sulfate. T his assay may be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of cancer therapy.