Urinary Excretion of Thioamine Compounds in Patients with Malignant Tumors and Inflammation.

The Kokonov's reaction measures thioamine-like compounds excreted in the urine. We compared the results obtained by this reaction in patients with malignant tumors and inflammatory diseases. The majority of patients with advanced (stage III-IV) cancer displayed a positive test. The chance of obtaining a positive test was related to the tumor mass. Lymphoma patients in complete remission were negative. Patients suffering from bacterial infections, active autoimmune diseases, and acute pancreatitis or myocardial infarction also had positive tests. The increased excretion of thioamines, found in tumor-bearing patients can be explained by the activation of the immune system, probably by the inflammation around or within the tumor tissue. The Kokonov's reaction is not suitable to discriminate between tumor-bearing patients and healthy ones. It rather seems to be appropriate to assess inflammatory processes in infections and/or autoimmune diseases.