Serum total and isoenzyme lactate dehydrogenase activity in American Burkitt's lymphoma patients.

Serum total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and LDH isoenzyme activities were studied in 45 American patients with a tissue diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma. Serum total LDH activity correlated with tumor burden as determined by clinical staging at presentation or clinical stage of the disease process ("disease status"). Tumor lysis by chemotherapy considerably increased the serum total LDH activity. For the LDH isoenzyme pattern, the largest relative increases were found with LDH3 and LDH4, whereas the highest isoenzyme activities occurred with LDH2 and LDH3. Thus, the total and isoenzyme LDH activities are helpful to evaluate the tumor burden and prognosis in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma.