Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase activity in patients with haematological malignancies

Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK) activity was decreased with acute myelomonoblastic leukaemia (AML) and lymphosarcoma cell leukaemia (LSAL) but increased in patients with chronic myelocytic leukaemia (CML). There was no difference in the enzyme activity between controls and relatives of patients with AML. PK activity in patients with ALL during complete remission was higher than during untreated and relapsed stages. These data provided evidence that the altered enzyme activity is acquired rather than genetic. There was a positive correlation between PK activity and red cell creatine levels. The red cell creatine was low in patients with AML but high in patients with CML. This suggests that the altered enzyme activity in these patients is at least part due to red cell age.