Polyamines in lymphomas: their value in disease staging and monitoring of therapy efficiency

The urinary polyamines putrescine and spermindine were evaluated in a population of 49 patients with malignant lymphomas (40 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 9 with Hodgkin's disease). Analyses were performed on a regular basis during the course of treatment. Polyamine levels were found to increase significantly with the disease stage. Results show that: (a) polyamines closely reflect disease evolution (clinical deterioration/clinical improvement); (b) comparison of polyamine measurements effected 24 h prior to and 48 h after initiation of a chemotherapy course allows evaluation of the response to treatment.