Serum cystine aminopeptidase and leucine aminopeptidase activity in women with benign and malignant uterine and ovarian tumors.

The serum enzymatic activities of cystine aminopeptidase and leucine aminopeptidase were measured in a group of 113 patients of whom 90 had benign uterine or ovarian tumors, and 23 had cancer of the endometrium or ovary. Thirty healthy nonpregnant women and 260 women at different stages of normal pregnancy served as control groups. The presence of pregnancy-specific enzymes in women with uterine or ovarian tumors showed once again that similar processes occur during pregnancy and malignancy. When ovarian or uterine malignancy is suspected on clinical examination, determination of the activities of these enzymes in serum may be of diagnostic value.