Premium
Serum fetoprotein and malignancy in children
Author(s) -
Finklestein Jerry Z.,
Higgins Gussie R.,
Faust Judy,
Karon Myron
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197207)30:1<80::aid-cncr2820300113>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - medicine , alpha fetoprotein , antiserum , malignancy , teratoma , neuroblastoma , alpha (finance) , incidence (geometry) , chemotherapy , pathology , gastroenterology , antibody , surgery , immunology , biology , hepatocellular carcinoma , construct validity , physics , patient satisfaction , optics , genetics , cell culture
This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of alpha fetoprotein in the sera of 107 children with various malignancies. Seventy‐five of the children had demonstrable tumors while no disease appeared to be present in 32 patients. Serum alpha fetoprotein was detected in seven patients using antiserum to monkey alpha fetoprotein (three with rhabdomyosarcomas, 1 each with neuroblastoma, lymphosarcoma, teratoma, and orchioblastoma). Using antiserum to human alpha fetoprotein, only two of these sera showed reactions of identity with human alpha fetoprotein (malignant teratoma and orchioblastoma). The disappearance of alpha fetoprotein from the serum of one patient correlated with complete surgical removal of the tumor. The protein disappeared from the sera of two children with inoperable tumors following intensive chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The determination of alpha fetoprotein may provide a valuable parameter for the evaluation of the activity of disease in children with certain tumors.