Nonpancreatic-type hyperamylasemia associated with pancreatic cancer.

Isoamylase analysis of the serum and urine of a patient with anaplastic spindel cell carcinoma of the pancreas revealed that virtually all of the serum amylase and almost all of the urine amylase behaved chromatographically as the salivary (S) type. Both the serum and urine amylases were bound by a substance derived from a macroamylase complex which had been shown to bind only salivary amylase and to lack any affinity for pancreatitis (P) type amylase. The ratio of amylase to creatinine clearance was markedly increased (12.5%) without evidence of acute pancreatitis at autopsy and despite the presence of only a minute amount of P-type isoamylase in the serum.