Comparative porphyrin content in tumors with contiguous non-neoplastic tissues

The porphyrin content in primary human carcinomas, their metastases and the contiguous non-neoplastic tissues were compared. The level of porphyrins in primary internal organ tumors was greater, and in endocrine gland tumors lesser, than in their contiguous non-neoplastic tissues. Neoplastic metastases to the liver contained less porphyrin than the host tissue. Metastases both to the liver and to the kidney were characterized by higher pyrrole pigment content than that in the primary tumors.