Polyamine levels in healthy and tumor tissues of patients with colon adenocarcinoma. Tissue polyamine levels were determined in patients with colon adenocarcinoma to try to identify biochemical indicators able to characterize the growth and the metabolism of human solid tumors. Polyamine content was determined in the tumor and in the "healthy" mucosa sampled at different distances within the resection edges. For each patient the polyamine content in the tumor was compared with that in the mucosa. The results demonstrated that the spermidine concentration was higher in the tumor than in the healthy mucosa; the differences were statistically significant. However, spermine in the tumor increased to a lesser degree. No statistically significant differences were observed among these mucosae at different localizations, but the spermine concentration in the mucosa after the tumor showed values very close to those of the neoplasia. 