Elevated lymphocyte ATP-ase activity in patients with cancer of the uterine cervix

Elevated lymphocyte Adenosine Tri-Phosphatase (ATP-ase) activity was found in 23 och 28 patients with cervical uterine carcinomas of various stages. Treatment with external irradiation and radium insertion was followed by a decline in the lymphocyte ATP-ase activity in 22 patients, while the activity remained unchanged in one patient. No correlation between the tumour stage and the lymphocyte ATP-ase activity was demonstrated. In 24 patients the clinical effect of the treatment was well correlated with the decline in ATP-ase activity. It is suggested that the determination of lymphocyte ATP-ase activity could be valuable in screening for cervical carcinoma and for follow-up after radical treatment.