[Serum anti-protease activity in the evaluation of results of proton hypophysectomy]

The activity of the alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin were studied in 16 breast cancer patients and 25 hypophyseal adenoma patients prior to and at varying time after proton "hypophysectomy". A high alpha 1-antitrypsin level and a normal alpha 2-macroglobulin level were found in all the breast cancer patients. An increase in both blood serum inhibitors was detected in hypophyseal adenoma. The dependence of the alpha 1-antitrypsin content on a subclinical stage of generalized metastatic spread was revealed in the course of 2 years following "hypophysectomy" in the patients with disseminated breast cancer. In the hypophyseal adenoma patients the activity of both inhibitors returned to normal 1 year after treatment and remained within normal during 3 years of follow-up. It was regarded as a positive therapeutic effect. The above findings make it possible to propose the determination of the activity af alpha 1-antitrypsin in breast cancer and alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin in hypophyseal adenoma as an additional test for the evaluation of the results of proton "hypophysectomy".