The diagnostic value of protein bound serum fucose in cancer of the breast.

Protein bound serum fucose levels were measured in women with cancer of the breast and in normal women serving as controls. Thirteen healthy women gave a mean value of 13.9 plus or minus 2.4 milligrams per cent, which was not significantly different from the figure of 15.0 plus or minus 3.1 milligrams per cent obtained from 11 patients with operable cancer of the breast, Stage I and II. Only the serums from nine patients with disseminated cancer of the breast showed a significantly elevated fucose concentration of 18.8 plus or minus 3.6 milligrams per cent. It is concluded that serum fucose determination is of no diagnostic value in the early stages of cancer of the breast.