Urine and blood serum muramidase (lysozyme) in patients with urogenital tumors

Serum and urine muramidase levels of patients suffering from carcinomas of the urogenital tract have been determined. The concentration in the urine amounted to 1·1–19·4 μg/ml in 51 out of 53 cases, whereas in healthy persons and in patients suffering from benign tumors, hypertrophy of the prostate, kidney cysts or inflammations, concentrations did not exceed 1·0 μg/ml. Serum muramidase concentration was between 8·5 and 29·2 μg/ml in 29 out of 30 cancer patients. In 17 healthy individuals we found 7·0±1·1 μg/ml and concentrations in the serum of patients of the control group were found in the same range in 7 out of 8 cases. The simultaneous determination of muramidase concentrations both in urine and in serum has proved to be a valuable test for the diagnosis of malignant tumors in the genitourinary region.