SERUM AND TISSUE PHOSPHATASE DETERMINATIONS

Abstract

Radiation therapy may be employed for its palliative or curative effect as the only method of treatment of some bone tumors, especially metastatic disease of bone, or it may be used preoperatively as a preliminary to amputation either as an elective measure or while the physician awaits consent for surgical intervention. The latter procedure is frequently followed in the management of certain types of osteogenic sarcoma. The effect of irradiation may be measured by the degree of symptomatic relief, by variations in the size of the tumor, by the roentgenographic appearance or by microscopic examination of the tissue. In the clinical study of a large number of patients in whom estimations of serum and tissue phosphatase were done, we were impressed by the close correlation of the phosphatase values with the clinical features. The results of the study thus prompted are herewith submitted. METHODS The alkaline phosphatase of the serum