Relative levels of alpha fetoprotein in confirmed hepatomas among Filipinos

ABSTRACT

On the 20 proven hepatoma cases, 10 cases or 50 were positive for AFP as shown in Table I. Examples of negative and positive reactions in the initial survey are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The acceptability of the test slide depended upon the presence of a precipitation line between the antiserum and positive control and its absence with the negative controlThe level of the AFP as gauged by the positive precipitation line in the different dilutions of patients sera varied greatly. Examples of these reactions are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The results for the 10 positive cases are summarized in Table I. The levels varied from 18 to 1256 dilutionThe levels did not appear to correspond to the clinical stage of the disease. The first case, A.O., was an autopsy case dying of hepatoma with only a level of 116. The highest level, 1256, was a case without much clinical evidence for hepatoma. With the rest of the cases, there was no clear-cut relation of the fetoprotein with the clinical state of the diseaseThe levels were not significantly different between the sexes. Age, likewise, did not affect the level. Morphology of the tumors likewise did not show a consistent feature that could be related to the level of AFP in positive as well as negative casesImmunoelectrophoresis tried on a few of our samples showed more positive results than immunodiffusion. This work is still in progress. (Results)