Organ porphyrins and uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity in a case of non-functioning adrenocortical carcinoma.

In a case of metastasizing hormonally non-functioning carcinoma of the cortex of the left adrenal, leading to the death of a man aged 42, the activity of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase and the concentrations of tissue porphyrins were determined. In the carcinoma a quantitative rise was observed of uroporphyrin, coproporphyrin and, particularly, protoporphyrin, while the total concentration of these three porphyrins was increased in the bone marrow fourfold, in the kidney eightfold in relation to the primary tumour. The correlation between the reduced activity of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase and the increased concentration of uroporphyrin was noted in the adrenocortical carcinoma and its metastases to the liver and lymph node, and also in the bone marrow and renal medulla.