Study of hydroxyproline excretion in patients with prostatic cancer.

Urinary hydroxproline concentrations were measured in 36 prostatic cancer patients. Metastases were ruled out by radiography in 24, and confirmed in 12 cases.14 patients with no malignant disease served as controls. In patients with no metastases excretion was similar to that in the controls, in some of them it was higher. In the patients with higher values the studies were repeated six months later: deposits were found in all cases but one. In the group in which deposits had been present at the outset the values of the untreated patients were significantly higher than in the controls, whereas in the treated patients no consistent values were found.