The Clinical Implications of Spinal-Fluid Lactic Dehydrogenase Activity

IN vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that malignant cells impart increased lactic dehydrogenase activity to the fluid mediums that bathe the neoplastic tissues. Cultures of malignant tissue have been shown to manifest increased lactic dehydrogenase activity in the culture mediums that nurture the cancer cells; benign tissue in culture fails to show the same increase in the activity of the culture medium.1 Pleural and peritoneal effusions free of malignant cells have less activity than the serum examined concomitantly. However, when serous effusions contain neoplastic cells, the lactic dehydrogenase activity of the effusion is usually greater than that of the . . .