title: 2-5A synthetase activity in patients with metastatic carcinoma and its response to interferon treatment.
abstract: The interferon-induced enzyme 2-5A synthetase was measured in extracts of ficoll-purified peripheral mononuclear cells from normal healthy volunteers and a large group of patients with metastatic carcinoma. The range of values in both populations was very large and overlapped considerably. On average, individuals with disseminated cancer have a two-fold increase in 2-5A synthetase activity. In addition, several patients have been identified who appear to have fully induced 2-5A synthetase activity with no detectable serum interferon and no history of prior interferon injections. This indicates that the interferon regulated 2-5A system is activated in metastatic carcinoma. Treatment of patients with interferon-alpha caused a dose-dependent increase in enzyme activity. The maximum fold increase varied from individual to individual, as did the dose required for maximum enzyme stimulation. A rigorous attempt must now be made to correlate enzyme induction with the clinical outcome of interferon treatment in order to assess the clinical value of such measurements.
mesh_terms: D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / Q000097:blood*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D004790:Enzyme Induction / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase