Clinical significance of heat labile Regan isoenzyme variant in Hodgkin's disease.

The activity of a heat labile variant of Regan type alkaline phosphatase (HLRI) was studied in the serum of 38 histologically proved patients with Hodgkin's disease. The activity was also studied in 40 normal healthy adults matched for age and sex as control. HLRI was significantly elevated in patients with Hodgkin's disease in comparison with normal controls (1.12 +/- 0.12 units/ml vs 0.09 +/- 0.01 units/ml; P less than 0.001). The mean values of the isoenzyme tended to increase progressively with increasing stages of disease, reflecting a significant linear trend (P less than 0.001). The serial measurement of this variant may serve as a useful parameter in assessing disease activity and response to chemotherapy.