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Antipyrine metabolism in cancer patients
Author(s) -
Higuchi Tomihiko,
Nakamura Toru,
Uchino Haruto
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19800201)45:3<541::aid-cncr2820450321>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - medicine , gastroenterology , carcinoma , hypoalbuminemia , cancer , gastric carcinoma , pancreas , endocrinology
The metabolism of antipyrine was studied in 16 patients with gastric carcinoma or carcinoma of the pancreas, and 5 control subjects with peptic ulcers matched for age, sex, body weight, height, and smoking history. The mean antipyrine half‐life was significantly longer in 3 patients with disseminated gastric carcinoma (21.5 ± 1.5 hours) compared to control subjects (9.3 ± 1.5 hours) ( P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the mean antipyrine half‐life between 10 patients with localized gastric carcinoma and control subjects. The mean half‐life was also significantly longer in 3 patients with carcinoma of the pancreas (17.5 ± 5 hours) compared to control subjects ( P < 0.05). Similarly, the mean metabolic clearance rate of antipyrine was significantly lower both in patients with disseminated gastric carcinoma (22.8 ± 5 ml/hr/kg) and in patients with carcinoma of the pancreas (26.6 ± 3.9 ml/hr/kg) compared to control subjects (52.6 ± 13.4 ml/hr/kg) ( P < 0.02, P < 0.05). Thus, antipyrine elimination might be decreased in cancer patients. Significant negative correlation was observed between antipyrine half‐life and albumin concentration in patients with gastric carcinoma (r = −0.626, P < 0.05). Three patients with carcinoma of the pancreas had hyperbilirubinemia without hypoalbuminemia. These observations indicate that the decrease in antipyrine half‐life is not primarily due to the presence of tumor but rather to the nutritional status and liver function of an individual.