Protein-bound carbohydrates in breast cancer. Liquid-chromatographic analysis for mannose, galactose, fucose, and sialic acid in serum.

We describr high-resolution chromatographic analysis for protein-bound sialic acid in serum, with use of a cerate oxidimetric detector. Values for sera from normal women averaged 680.5 mg/liter, with a coefficient of variation of 23%. Including data obtained by previously developed chromatographic procedures for protein-bound mannose, galactose, and fucsoe, we assessed sera from breast-cancer patients whose malignancy had been categorized as either stable, responsive, or progressive (based on clinical observations spaced from two to five months apart). All of 12 responsive patients had decreases of protein-bound fucose averaging 34.5% (SD, 16.1) and all of 10 patients with progressive disease had increases averaging 38.3% (SD 21.5). Changes in fucose averaged less than 6.7% (SD, 4.9) for eight patients with clinically stable breast cancer. Changes in protein-bound mannose, galactose, and sialic acid did not correlate as well as did fucose with the clinical disease status of the patients.