Serum sialic acid elevations in malignant melanoma patients.

Elevated membrane sialic acid (n-acetyl neuraminic acid) concentration may be a general phenomenon associated with malignant or transformed cells. In this study, sera from 30 normal persons and 25 melanoma patients were examined to determine first, if serum sialic acid elevations were associated with malignant melanoma, and second, if there was a relationship between tumor burden and serum sialic acid level. Significantly elevated sialic acid concentrations were found in the melanoma patients (p less than 0.005), and levels tended to be greater in those with a large tumor burden (p less than 0.05). Thus, increased serum sialic acid could prove to be a valuable clinical monitor of change in tumor burden as a result of therapy or change due to recurrence of disease following treatment.