title: Predicting response to chemotherapy for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer using urinary polyamine excretion patterns.
abstract: Urinary polyamine (UPA) excretion patterns were measured in 39 patients with clinically evaluable epithelial ovarian cancer immediately before they were treated with a cycle of chemotherapy and 24-48 h after chemotherapy to ascertain if changes in UPA excretion patterns correlated with eventual response to treatment. Almost all of the 19 patients who responded to chemotherapy had a rise in the excretion of all UPA fractions after treatment while most patients with chemoresistant cancer showed only an increase in the excretion of the putrescine and spermine fractions. However, a two-fold increase in excretion of the spermidine fractions occurred exclusively in patients who would eventually respond to chemotherapy. This phenomenon was not seen in patients with chemoresistant cancer. If, 48 h after chemotherapy, a patient with epithelial ovarian cancer does not show at least a doubling of the urinary levels of spermidine, acetylspermidine or total polyamine excretion that chemotherapy should be stopped since it is unlikely to be effective.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Lawton
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Slack
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blackledge
mesh_terms: D015317:Biogenic Polyamines / Q000652:urine*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D015317:Biogenic Polyamines