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A primary lung carcinoma producing alpha‐fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, and human chorionic gonadotropin. Immunohistochemical and biochemical studies
Author(s) -
Yoshimoto Tomohiro,
Higashino Kazuya,
Hada Toshikazu,
Tamura Shinsuke,
Nakanishi Kenji,
Mitsunobu Masao,
Uematsu Kunio,
Matsuoka Takamasa,
Taketa Kazuhisa
Publication year - 1987
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(19871201)60:11<2744::aid-cncr2820601126>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - carcinoembryonic antigen , oncofetal antigen , human chorionic gonadotropin , alpha fetoprotein , monoclonal antibody , immunohistochemistry , antigen , carcinoma , antibody , lung cancer , pathology , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , cancer research , cancer , hepatocellular carcinoma , immunology , hormone , tumor associated antigen
Abstract This article documents a patient with lung carcinoma that produced three oncofetal antigens including alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Serum AFP, CEA, and hCG‐beta‐subunit were extremely high—118,000 ng/ml, 133 ng/ml and 0.9 ng/ml, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining of these tumor markers revealed that these proteins were present in different cells. The pattern of lectin‐affinity electrophoresis of AFP resembled that of hepatocellular carcinoma. Also investigated was the reactivity of serum CEA to monoclonal antibodies against peptide or sugar moieties. Serum CEA values measured by antipeptide monoclonal antibodies were higher than those measured by antisugar monoclonal antibodies. The demonstration of AFP, CEA, and hCG in different tumor cells suggests that three genomes were not reactivated together in a cell, and the lung carcinoma probably consisted of at least three clones of cancer cells with different phenotypes.