Abnormal serum alkaline and acid phosphatase isoenzymes in female breast cancer patients

Abstract

Scrum total, different isoforms of both alkaline and acid phosphatases, liver function enzymes, calcium, inorganic Phosphate, heamatocrit, white blood cells and platelet counts were determined in 50 female patients suffering from breast cancer. The serum total alkaline and total acid phosphatases within the breast cancer group were variable with significant elevation of both enzymes compared with the corresponding control values. The activities of alkaline and aspartate transferases were higher than the control values, while the decreases in serum albumin and heamatocrit were statistically significant. In the breast cancer patients, the increases in the activities of both heat and urea labile alkaline phosphatases were significant. Similarly, in the patients, the tartratc-labile acid phosphatases activity was significantly elevated while the difference in tartrate resistant activity was not significant. In 9 patients (18%), both total alkaline and acid phosphatases were excessively raised when compared with the control. The increased activities of urea-labile and heatlabile alkaline phosphatases as well as tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases are suggestive of increased activities of osteoclast and osteoblasts associated with bone metastasis. A possible diagnostic importance of this observation deserves further investigation, using monoclonal antibody techniques.