Deficiency of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in patients with malignant lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia.

The activity of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase was determined in 38 patients with lung cancers (n = 15), malignant lymphoma (n = 11) and acute myeloid leukemia (n = 12). The patients with malignant lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia showed a significant decrease in both enzyme activities (P less than 0.01) while the patients with lung cancer (9 squamous cell carcinomas and 6 small cell carcinomas) showed normal values of SOD and catalase activities. Furthermore, the patients with malignant lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia, in remission, but not treated with anticancer drugs, also showed a significant decrease in SOD and catalase activity. These observations therefore indicate that a deficiency of erythrocyte SOD and catalase activities is caused by cancer and varies with the type of the cancer.