The value of cathcpsin B activity determination for evaluation of the extent of disease was investigated in 98 patients with the cervix uteri carcinoma and 25 women with cervix uteri dysplasia. The measurements were performed before treatment. Cathepsin B activity was estimated in serum using Z-Phe-Arg-NMec, and in tumor tissue using Z-Arg-Arg-pNA • HC1 as substrates. The mean activity of the enzyme increased both in serum and tumor tissue with progression of neoplastic disease and was dependent on the clinical stage of cervical carcinoma. It should be stressed, however, that among the patients with the clinically observed early stage of the disease, higher cathepsin B activity was observed in those in whom metastases to pelvic lymph nodes were detected than in those in whom the disease was limited to cervix uteri.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of brachytherapy on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in patients with uterine cervix cancer. The study was conducted on 84 uterine cervix cancer patients from the Brachytherapy Department of the Regional Centre of Oncology in Bydgoszcz. Patients with uterine cervix cancer were found to have elevated levels of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defence system impairment relative to healthy females. The results of the study indicate that brachytherapy has no direct effect on the antioxidant system of patients with uterine cervical carcinoma. However, the normalisation of catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity and erythrocyte TBARS level observed six months after the end of therapy may be due to the arrest of the progression of the disease.