The relationship between histochemical enzyme activities of brain tumors and clinical features of the patients

Human brain turnors removed from 126 patients were histochemically examined and following results were obtained. 1. In general, alkaline phosphatase activity is decreased in poorly differentiated gliomas, but is not related to the tumor cell infiltration. 2. All the cases of alkaline phosphatase negative gliomas have poor reconvalescent course and most of the positive cases show good reconvalescence. 3. Alkaline phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase and acid phosphatase activities are remarkable in fibroblastic meningioma, moderate or feeble in meningocytic meningioma, and negative in malignant meningioma. 4. The activities of alkaline phosphatase, β-esterase, leucine aminopeptidase and acid phosphatase are decreased in most of meningocytic meningiomas when the duration of symptoms and signs is short. 5. Succinic dehydrogenase, malic dehydrogenase, isocitric dehydrogenase and β-glucuronidase are strongly reactive in malignant meningioma; from strong to moderate in meningocytic meningioma and from moderate to feeble in fibroblastic meningioma. 6. There is a slight increasing tendency of the activities of succinic dehydrogenase, malic dehydrogenase, isocitric dehydrogenase in fibroblastic meningioma and p·glucuronidase for a short duration of symtoms and signs. 7. In the case of acoustic neurinomas the higher the alkaline phosphatase activity, the longer is the duration of symptoms and signs.