Microheterogeneous changes of the C1-esterase inhibitor in plasma cannot predict operability, postoperative complications, or recurrence in cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To find out if microheterogeneous changes--such as in molecular weight, isoelectric point, electrophoretic mobility, lectin binding or complexation of the C1-esterase inhibitor--exist in plasma samples from various subgroups of patients. If so, whether these differences could be used diagnostically in single plasma samples from patients with cancer for prognostic assessment of operability or risk of recurrence, and whether any change indicated an increased risk for development of postoperative complications.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

University hospital, Sweden.

SUBJECTS: 16 patients operated on as emergencies for acute peritonitis, 118 patients electively operated on for benign diseases, 274 patients electively operated on for cancer, and 212 patients admitted with acute abdominal pain.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Curative operation, diagnoses, postoperative complications, recurrence of cancer within 2 years.

RESULTS

There were no biochemical differences in the C1-esterase inhibitor between single or sequential plasma samples from four large groups of patients with benign disease, cancer, or inflammatory disease, with operable or inoperable cancer, with postoperative complications or not, or with or without early recurrence of cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Specialised biochemical analyses of C1-esterase inhibitor, the most important plasma protease inhibitor of the complement and kinin systems and of contact activation in plasma, cannot be used for prognostic assessment of operability, risk of postoperative complications, or risk of recurrence in patients with cancer.