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EARLY DETECTION OF HEPATOMA: PROSPECTIVE STUDY IN LIVER CIRRHOSIS USING PASSIVE HEMAGGLU‐TINATION AND THE RADIOIMMUNOASSAY *
Author(s) -
Lehmann FrankGünter
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25414.x
Subject(s) - gastroenterology , medicine , ascites , cirrhosis , radioimmunoassay , hepatocellular carcinoma , liver disease , carcinoma , antigen , incidence (geometry) , immunology , physics , optics
(1) Passive hemagglutination and radioimmunoassay are suitable methods for the detection of AFP in the low concentration range. (2) In 3.72% of the cases a clinically unknown carcinoma was found in an unselected group of patients with liver cirrhosis. (3) 21.9% of the patients showed AFP elevations up to 2000 ng/ml. In 10.6% of this group, increasing titers demonstrated a primary liver cell carcinoma. In 89.4% a transitory rise of AFP was not associated with tumor growth. Levels return to normal values within three months in 90% of the cases. (4) Transitory AFP elevations are not correlated to clinical conditions (praecoma, coma, delirium, bleeding, ascites, shunt) or to biochemical parameters (GOT, GPT, bilirubin, prothrombin complex time, gamma-globulin). (5) A temporary rise in AFP is more frequently observed in groups with high hepatoma incidence than in groups with low hepatoma incidence. (6) Therefore, it may be suggested that a transitory rise of AFP could reflect a "primary reaction" of carcinogenesis. (7) Primary liver cell carcinoma is found to be more frequent in posthepatitic than in postalcoholic, cryptogenic, and other cirrhosis and to be more frequent in australia-antigen positive than in australia-antigen negative cases. (8) Routine serological tumor antigen screening of patients with a precancerous disease is useful.