Genetic variants of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the study of carcinoma of the cervix

Electrophoretic variants of the X-linked enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were used to study the possible single cell or multicellular origin of human cervical neoplasia. Normal and affected tissue from Negro women with cervical dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and invasive cervical carcinoma were evaluated. The results with pre-invasive disease were consistent with a single cell origin. Findings in invasive carcinoma in five patients are compatible with a unicellular origin, while in two patients a multicellular origin seems likely. This raises the possibility of a heterogeneous etiology of invasive cervical epidermoid carcinoma. Sequential studies of one patient with invasive carcinoma, studied while undergoing radiation therapy, suggest the utility of G-6-PD electrophoresis for determining effectiveness and progress of treatment.