2,3-Diphosphoglycerate, a cellular ageing metabolite.

The concentration of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate was increased in whole venous blood of patients with various cancers, including those of breast, ovary, lung and colon, but not rectum, compared with age-matched controls. Higher values, increasing with age, were also found in patients with Hodgkin's disease and other lymphomas. This abnormality is considered to be due to increased synthesis of the metabolite by the tumour tissue.