1990 Volume 81 Issue 8 Pages 1190-1196
To study the bone turnover in patients with bone metastasis from cancers of the kidney, bladder, prostate and other organs, Ca metabolism, vitamine D related hormones and various markers, such as bone glaprotein (BGP) and hydroxyproline, were invastigated. In the group with osteolytic metastasis of non-prostatic cancer patients, BGP which is a measure of bone absorption was significantly increased and urinary excretion of hydroxyproline, Ca and P was elevated. Serum Ca was also higher and 1α25 (OH)2D and 250HD, measures of the metabolism of vitamine D, were lower. It was shown that bone absorption was promoted with the osteolytic findings by clinical X-ray examination, but osteoblastic changes which did not depend on osteoblast cells, seemed to exist in this group.
On the contrary, in the group with osteoblastic metastasis from prostatic cancer, the level of BGP was not increased, but urinary hydroxyproline was moderately increased. Serum and urinary Ca and P levels were increased. In addition, 1α25 (OH)2D and 24·25 (OH)2D were lower than in the control group.
These results indicate that urinary hydroxyproline is a useful marker for patients with bone metastasis, but BGP was correlative with neither the clinical findings of bone metastasis nor the bone turn over and metabolisms.
