Increased levels of serum sialic acid in the sera of cancer patients

Sialic acid concentration in the sera of patients with cancers of various organs including breast, lung, intestine, cervix and pharynx was determined and compared with their normal counter parts. Although serum sialic acid levels were found to be higher than normal in all types studied, the difference was more pronounced in breast and lung cancers, where mean Values were 4.7 +/- 0.079 mM and 4.4 +/- 1.01 mM respectively against a mean value of 2.17 +/- 0.495 mM estimated in normal individuals