[Indole melanogens--useful tumor markers in malignant melanoma?]

The concentrations of indole melanogens have been measured in 24-hour urine samples of 44 patients suffering from malignant melanoma, clinical stages I to IV, and 23 healthy test persons (control group). With regard to the controls, the urinary concentration of indole melanogens amounted to 3.8 +/- 1.329 micrograms/ml; the excretion was 5.41 +/- 1.941 mg daily. In patients with localized malignant melanoma, the concentration of indole melanogens did not differ from the control group. Highly significant levels, however, were measured in patients with generalized disease (7.76 micrograms/ml and 6.85 mg daily). Tyrosin orally given (7 g on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th day of the collecting period) did not elevate the urinary excretion of indole melanogens in any of the test groups. These results indicate that the applied procedure does not present any fundamental advantage for clinical oncology.