<Original Articles>Serum Cathepsin B Levels, Urinary Excretion of Cathepsin B and Tissue Cathepsin B Content in the Patients with Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Serum cathepsin B levels and urinary excretion of cathepsin B in the patients with gastric cancer were significantly higher than those in the control non-cancer patients. Moreover, cancer tissue cathepsin B content was significantly higher than that in the normal tissue. After radical curative operations for gastric cancers, both serum cathepsin B levels and urinary excretion of cathepsin B were restored to the control values. These results suggest a possible role of lysosomal enzyme, cathepsin B in the pathogenesis of tumor growth, and also suggest that these parameters might be possible indicators for tumor malignancy.

胃癌患者での血中カテプシン B 値および尿中カテプシン B 排出量はコントロールの非癌患者に比べ有意に高値を示したさらに, 切除標本での検討にて, 胃癌組織中でのカテプシン B 含有量は正常組織と比べ有意に高値を示した. 胃癌患者では, 根治手術後には, 血中カテプシン B 値も尿中カテプシン B 排出量もともにコントロール値に回復した. これらの結果は, ライソゾーム酵素であるカテプシン B の癌発育過程での何らかの役割を示唆させるとともに, これらのパラメーターが, 悪性腫瘍の指標となりうることも示唆させた.