Differential alpha-fetoprotein lectin binding in hepatocellular carcinoma. Diagnostic utility at low serum levels
✍ Scribed by Ming-Qing Du; Winston L. Hutchinson; Philip J. Johnson; Roger Williams
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1991
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 466 KB
- Volume
- 67
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0008-543X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The reactivity of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) from 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with immobilized lentil lectin was examined and found to be significantly greater (39% ? 18%) than that of the same protein from seven patients with chronic liver disease (CLD, 11.2% f 3.3%), seven with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF, 10% -t 8.4%), and eight normal pregnant women (4.1% t 2.7%). The reactivity with Concanavalin A (Con A) was also significantly greater for AFP from HCC patients (44.5% k 12.5%) than that from FHF patients (7.7% f 4%) and normal pregnant women (5.3% 2 3.3%), but not from patients with CLD. The reactivity with lentil lectin permitted distinction between those with HCC (31.3% t 14.1%) and those with uncomplicated CLD (11.2% 4 8.4%) even when the absolute levels of serum AFP were in the same range (80-400 ng/ml). Evaluation of the alterations by lectin binding methodology may be useful in overcoming problems associated with distinguishing between malignant and CLD, particularly at moderate serum AFP elevations.