[5-S-cysteinyldopa determination in the urine. Its value for monitoring in melanoma patients].

In case of uncharacteristic patient complaints or slightly pathologic BSR or liver enzyme levels in patients, suffering from melanoma, the determination of 5-S-cysteinyldopa in the 24-h-urine may be of great diagnostic value. If the complaints and the pathologic values are early symptoms and signs of generalized metastases being clinically not yet manifest, the excretion of 5-S-cysteinyldopa in the urine is often increased. In such cases, a thorough and possibly invasive search for metastases is indicated.