To evaluate the diagnostic validity of glycolytic enzyme phosphohexose isomerase(PHI) as a serum tumor marker, especially for the stomach cancer, authors prospectively checked the serum PHI in 97 malignant patients of gastrointestinal, hepato-biliary-pancreas and breast tu- mors prior to primary treatment for 16 months and analyzed them according to stage and com- pared with other tumor markers (CEA, AFP, CA19-9, CA50, CA15-3, TPA, serum Ferritin). To assess the specificity, serum PHI activities were measured in 21 patient' with inflammation and benign diseases and 10 ulcer patients. 26 control groups were all screened by CBC, LFT and RFT as well as serum PHI. The obtained results revealed that the elevated serum level of other tumor markers (CEA, AFP, CA19-9, CA50, serum Ferritin) in gastrointestinal cancer patients was lesser than 34%, but PHL was elevated in 53.Z% (P<0.05). Especially in stomach cancer, serum elevation of other tumor markers was lesser than l6%, but PHI was elevated about 46% (P<0.05). And these results showed no corelation strictly increased serum level according to stage. In breast cancer, the diagnostic sensitivity of PHI was low (14.3%). In conclusion, even though PHI revesled higher sensitivity in GI cancer diagnosis than any other tumor markers, PHI lacked the specificity compared with inflammation, benign and ulcer diseases snd did not reflect the radicality of gastric tumor. Nevertheless, it suggests that serum PHI can be used for the screening of stomach cancer, and diagnosis of recurrence as a tumor marker.
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