Significance of radioimmunoassay of human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha fetoprotein in nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis

Abstract

Radioimmunoassays of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) made in 49 patients with nonseminomatous testicular tumors have shown that these investigations make the diagnosis more precise, permit to follow up the dynamics of the course of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment and may help to reveal the presence of otherwise undetectable tumorous metastases. The significance of the these assays is enhanced if the two tumorous proteins are investigated in parallel. The results proved rightly positive in 43 (87.8%) and falsely negative in 6 (12.2%) of the patients. The absence of HCG and AFP production in some of the patients with an active disorder has not as yet been elucidated.