[Histochemical investigations on human bladder cancer (author's transl)]

The histochemical enzyme activity of alkaline phosphatase, nonspecific esterase, 5-nucleotidase, beta-glucuronidase, glucose-6-phosphatase, succinate dehydrogenase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in human bladder cancer was investigated. Tumors of 84 patients, classified into grades I-III according to the WHO classification, were compared with 12 normal and 16 inflamed bladder epithelia. As a rule, loss of alkaline phosphatase activity and a decrease of nonspecific esterase activity was found in most of these tumors. The activity of beta-glucuronidase was decreased and compared with normal tissue, also the activity of 5-nucleotidase. The succinate dehydrogenase activity in tumor tissue was frequently increased, whereas glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase did not show any significant reaction.