Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity in Human Stomach Cancer

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity was measured in 70 gastric and 20 non-gastric cancer patients. Mean ODC activity of cancer tissue, normal mucosa from cancer-bearing stomach and normal mucosa from non-gastric cancer patients was 475.7±47.7, 270.0±32.4, and 80.5±7.5 nmol/hour/mg protein, respectively (P<0.05). Among gastric cancer patients, ODC activity in cancer tissue was significantly higher in those with lymph node metastasis, serosal invasion and peritoneal dissemination than in those without these features. High ODC activity was correlated with poor short-term survival (1 year). These results suggest that mucosal ODC activity may be a useful marker for assessing biological activity in gastric cancer patients.