Serum arginase activity in postsurgical monitoring of patients with colorectal carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies. In the current work, the role of arginase as a diagnostic marker in patients with recurrent CRC and colorectal liver metastases (CRCLM) was studied.


METHODS
Arginase activity was monitored in serum from 40 patients with primary CRC and from 100 patients with CRCLM. Blood was taken before and after patients underwent tumor resection. Studies were conducted for 3 years.


RESULTS
Preoperative arginase activity in serum from patients with CRC and CRCLM was much greater compared with the arginase activity in serum from healthy control blood donors. One and two cut-off levels of increased arginase activity were observed in patients with CRC and CRCLM, respectively. After patients underwent tumor resection, the arginase activity decreased to normal values in both patients with CRC and patients with CRCLM. Activity levels remained low in patients who did not develop recurrent CRC or CRCLM (first or second). In patients who developed subsequent recurrences or metastases that appeared after surgery, during 3 years of surveillance, a significant rise in serum arginase activity was observed. The clinical prognosis for patients was worst when the postoperative serum arginase activity was very high, because those patients more often developed second liver metastases or died.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors conclude that the determination of serum arginase activity may be a complementary test to confirm the occurrence of CRC and may be useful for the early diagnosis of patients who develop recurrent CRC and/or CRCLM.
Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. akuzma@amwaw.edu.pl
Zofia
Z
Porembska
Anna
A
Skwarek
Magdalena
M
Mielczarek
Anna
A
Barańczyk-Kuźma
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001119:Arginase / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011379:Prognosis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001119:Arginase