膀胱癌の放射線治療とβ-glucuronidase

Abstract

Urinary and serum β-glucuronidase was determined by Tsukamoto's method as a biochemical index of therapeutic effect of radiation therapy of bladder tumor. The patients were divided into four groups, bladder tumor (Group 1), tumor of the kidney and renal pelvis (Group 2), prostatic carcinoma (Group 3), and urolithiasis and inflammation (Group 4). Over 70 % of patients with bladder tumor showed β-glucuronidase higher than 1000 U. Group 2 and 3 also showed high β-glucuronidase level but Group 4 the level within normal range. Urinary β-glucuronidase remarkably elevated along the course of irradiation, transiently decreased at 2000 rads, again increased at 3, 000-4, 000 rads, and finally decreased at 6, 000 rads. Administration of Glucaron, an inhibitor of β-glucuronidase, resulted in decrease of the enzyme level in all the recurrent tumor cases. The level, however, again increased along with growth of tumor. In the cases whose radiation therapy was completed β-glucuronidase started to elevate regardless the course of tumor itself. Above results proved that urinary β-glucuronidase is released into circulation from the tumor itself undergoing cellular degeneration due to radiation therapy. Urinary β-glucuronidase is a good biochemical index to know if sensitivity to radiation therapy exists or not.