The demonstration of subclinical liver metastases in patients suffering from gastrointestinal cancer might prevent celiotomy in a number of cases. It was of great interest, therefore, when it was reported that the serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (S-GOT) was elevated in the presence of secondaries in the liver.
Studying a large series of patients, we tried to ascertain whether a raised S-GOT is a reliable criterion of the presence of subclinical hepatic metastases in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. At the same time, we had occasion to investigate the diagnostic value of an elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) as compared with S-GOT.
Previous Studies
Wroblewski and LaDue6 demonstrated a raised S-GOT in 13 out of 14 patients with histologically confirmed secondaries in the liver and in 10 out of 11 patients with clinical signs of hepatic secondaries. Studying the S-GOT values in 23 patients whose liver metastases were later proved by