[Tumoral levels of thymidine phosphorylase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in elderly colorectal cancer patients].
Fluoropyrimidine therapy for elderly colorectal cancer patients remains controversial. Tumoral levels of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and the ratio of TP to DPD determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were compared between colorectal cancer patients aged 75 or over (elderly group, n = 25) and those 74 years or less (control group, n = 87), in order to examine the characteristics of colorectal cancers in the elderly from the viewpoint of metabolic and anabolic pathways of fluoropyrimidines. The level of TP was 78.4 +/- 47.0 unit/mg protein in the elderly group and 82.4 +/- 70.9 unit/mg protein in the control group (p = 0.86). The level of DPD was 53.7 +/- 43.1 unit/mg protein in the elderly group and 52.6 +/- 37.7 unit/mg protein in the control group (p = 0.73). The ratio of TP to DPD was 2.0 +/- 1.2 in the elderly group and 1.8 +/- 0.9 in the control group (p = 0.44). These three parameters did not differ between the groups when divided according to Dukes' stage (Dukes' A.B versus Dukes' C.D). These results suggest that there are no age-specific characteristics in relation to conversion of fluoropyrimidines such as capecitabine and doxifluridine to 5-fluorouracil (FU) and degradation of 5-FU in colorectal cancers.
Ishida
H
H
Dept. of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical School.
Takeuchi
I
I
Inokuma
S
S
Nakada
H
H
Ohsawa
T
T
Hoshino
T
T
Murata
N
N
Fujioka
M
M
Hashimoto
D
D
Idezuki
Y
Y
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology*; D042943:Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP); D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis*; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000032:analysis*
D010088:Oxidoreductases; D042943:Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP); D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase; D005472:Fluorouracil