Serum cholinesterase and erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase activity in patients with neuroblastoma.

ABSTRACT

Serum cholinesterase (ChE), red cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE), were determined in 18 neuroblastoma patients ages ranged from 8 months to 4 years. Sixteen patients (89%) were anemic and 15 patients (83%) showed bone marrow invasion and/or liver involvement. Both mean values of serum ChE and red cell AChE activities were significantly lower than those of 80 normal subjects. There was no relationship between red cell AChE and Hb, Ht or white blood cell count. The cause and mechanism of reduced serum ChE and red cell AChE activities in patients with neuroblastoma were possibly due to the invasion of the liver and bone marrow by the tumor cells. Although neuroblastoma cells can synthesize AChE which is inversely regulated by the rate of cell division, determination of serum ChE and red cell AChE could not serve to distinguish neuroblastoma from the other types of human tumour cells.