title: The use of the major anoxic stress response protein P34, the K isozyme of lactate dehydrogenase, and carcinoembryonic antigen in the follow-up of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This prospective study evaluated the use of the K isozyme of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-K) as a complementary tumor marker to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this series, 355 patients underwent potentially curative surgery for primary colorectal adenocarcinoma. A close surveillance program of follow-up revealed 108 patients (30%) who had a serum elevation in CEA and/or LDH-K.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 43 patients with elevations in CEA alone. Twenty-seven of 43 patients (63%) had tumor at exploratory laparotomy; and 16 patients (37%) had no evidence of disease after a median follow-up of 74 months. Group 2 consisted of 33 patients with a serum elevation of LDH-K alone. In this group, 5 of 33 patients (15%) had recurrent disease with true elevations of LDH-K. In 28 patients (85%), there were falsely elevated levels of LDH-K with no evidence of disease. Group 3 consisted of 32 patients with elevations of both serum LDH-K and CEA. In this group, 17 of 32 patients (53%) had true elevations of CEA and LDH-K with tumor recurrence, and 15 patients (47%) had false elevations with no evidence of disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LDH-K did not complement CEA as a tumor marker for detecting recurrence in this group of patients with colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York 14263.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Petrelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Bigas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase