assessment of urinary l-fucose level in gasterointestinal and gynecological neoplasms

l-fucose (6.deoxy. l.galactose) is the only monosacharide which is placed in non reducting position of glycoproteins structure in l-deoxy form. l-fucosidase and fucosy 1 transferase directly take part in the elevation or decrease of sorum l-fucose levels. tumors may directly induce enzymes that release l-fucose from glycoproteins formed in the neoplastic tissue, or the glycoproteins may be released indirectly as a result of body-defense metabolic secretion of glycoproteins and their filtration in glomeruls, and has a close correlation with glomerular filtration rate (gfr). in this study we compared urinary l-fucose of 30 known cases of cancer versus 40 healthy people. fifteen patients had gastrointestinal (gi) cancer and 15 patients gyneclologic (gyn) cancer. there was significant difference between urinary l-fucose of patients with gi cancer and controls (p<0.01), and also we saw the same result (p<0.01) in gyn patients in comparison with controls. significant elevations of urinary l-fucose, in gi and gy cancers may lead us in the way to further evaluation of its relationship with l-fucose levels to make its early diagnosis and better prognosis in susceptible individuals and those at a high risk of developing cancer, possible.