Polyamines as biological markers of the effectiveness of therapy in acute leukemia

Urinary polyamine levels were determined in patients with acute leukemia, before and during chemotherapy, in order to confirm whether tumor cell death, due to successful chemotherapy, increases the release in urine and serum of polyamines from tumor tissues (12). Comparison between the polyamine test and cytological data indicated that a rise in urinary spermidine levels occurs during the first 3 days of therapy, both in the responsive and unresponsive patients. However, in the responsive patients the spermidine increase was higher (at 5% significant level) than in the unresponsive ones, and it was coincident with the fall of the blast cells and the revival of normal hematopoiesis. Increases in putrescine levels were also observed, but there were no significant differences (5% level) between the 2 groups of patients. When polyamine determinations were carried out following chemotherapy cycles, the relapse of the disease was always accompanied by an increase in putrescine.