Related Experiment Videos
Macromolecular lactate dehydrogenase: an innocent bystander
G A Tallis1, J Bahnisch, D W Thomas
1Division of Clinical Chemistry, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, South Australia.
Pathology
|April 1, 1990
Summary
Persistently high lactate dehydrogenase (LD) activity was linked to a rare LD-IgA complex, not malignancy. This finding highlights the importance of advanced testing to avoid unnecessary cancer investigations.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Chemistry
- Immunology
Background:
- Lactate dehydrogenase (LD) is an enzyme frequently elevated in various cancers, sometimes serving as a tumor marker.
- Elevated LD activity can prompt extensive diagnostic workups for potential malignancies.
Observation:
- A patient presented with persistently high LD activity, triggering a thorough search for cancer.
- Routine investigations yielded normal results, necessitating further specialized testing.
Findings:
- LD electrophoresis, gel filtration, and immunofixation identified a circulating macromolecular LD complex.
- This complex was characterized as an immunoglobulin A kappa (IgA-κ) bound to lactate dehydrogenase.
Implications:
- The presence of LD-IgA complexes, while explaining elevated LD activity, currently lacks diagnostic significance for malignancy.
- This case underscores the need for advanced diagnostic techniques to differentiate true neoplastic markers from benign biochemical anomalies, potentially preventing unnecessary patient anxiety and medical interventions.