Urinary excretion of pterins in tumor-bearing patients.

In a group of 14 individuals without tumor disease and 125 patients with verified malignant tumors we checked the applicability of determination of the pterins concentration in urine by the procedure described by RAO et al. [3]. In total of 242 examinations were performed. The results were compared with the thin-layer chromatography and on the basis of these comparisons the method was modified. Correlation of the clinical conclusion and the values of tests was obtained in 76% of cases. In patients with undoubtedly persisting tumors the correlation was found in 73%, in a group of patients with the leukemia and lymphomas in 97%, with mammary carcinoma in 81%. Evaluation made in these patients prior to the chemotherapy initiation correlated in 100%. This simple test offers a possibility of the use in differential diagnosis of malignant process or in the course of the screening.