Adenosine Deaminase Activity in Patients with Carcinoma of the Bladder

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Abstract
Adenosine deaminase is an important enzyme in purine metabolism, and patients with abnormal lymphocyte and erythrocyte adenosine deaminase levels have impaired immune competence. Since immune factors are important in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder adenosine deaminase activity was studied in the hemic cells of 48 patients with this tumor. Lymphocyte adenosine deaminase levels were elevated in patients with transitional cell carcinoma and correlated with stage, activity, clinical course and tumor resection but not with tumor grade. Erythrocyte adenosine deaminase levels were also elevated in patients with transitional cell carcinoma but did not correlate with other disease parameters. Lymphocyte adenosine deaminase activity in patients with transitional cell carcinoma may be a sensitive indicator of disease activity and further studies may provide insight into the host-tumor relationship at the enzyme level.