[Comparative study of the plasma levels of alpha-1 fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen in chronic liver diseases and malignant neoplasias (author's transl)]

Abstract

We have measured the plasma levels of alpha-1 fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinembryonic antigen (CEA) by RIA in 98 chronic liver diseases (20 chronic aggressive hepatitis and 75 cirrhosis), in 46 subjects with several varieties of malignant neoplasias and in 30 normal controls. In cirrhosis levels higher than the media +/- 2 DS of controls were found in 25.3% for AFP (Max. value 250 ng/ml) and in 36.0% for CEA (Max. value 150 ng/ml). Only in 6 cases of cirrhosis we found high levels of AFP and CEA contemporaneously. High levels of AFP were found in 10/13 primary liver cancers and only in 1 patient with colonic carcinomata. High levels of CEA were found in 4/13 primary liver cancers (1 AFP positive too), 3/4 metastatic liver cancers, 7/17 colonic primary cancers, 3/6 bronchogenic carcinoma, and 3/6 other malignancies.