[Clinical application of beta-glucuronidase (beta-GCD) assay in the diagnosis of malignant tumors--analysis of 743 cases].

Chromatometric assay of beta-GCD in the urine, gastric juice and saliva was conducted in 743 subjects. In the urine of 104 normal persons, 5 (4.8%) were beta-GCD positive. In the urine of 35 urinary bladder cancer patients, 20 (57.1%) were positive. beta-GCD content was very low in the gastric juice and saliva of normal subjects, giving a positivity of 0%. But it was high in the gastric juice of stomach cancer patients, giving a positive rate of 83.3%. The positivities in the saliva of stomach cancer and malignant ovarian tumor patients were both 62.2% which was higher than that of patients suffering from other malignancies or benign tumors. beta-GCD assay is simple, stable and is valid in the diagnosis of stomach cancer and ovarian malignancies. The mechanism of beta-GCD elevation and its relation to metastasis are discussed.