ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN VARIANTS AND THEIR CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The molecular heterogeneity of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in 36 patients was studied by lectin affinity-radioimmunoelectrophoresis. Two variants of AFP, concanavalin-A (Con-A) reactive and the Con-A nonreactive, were obtained. AFP in all 13 patients with hepatoma consisted of the two variants, but the Con-A reactive variant was the major one. In 8 patients with benign liver disorder, however, only the Con-A reactive variant of AFP was detected. Over 50% of AFP in 5 patients with yolk sac tumor was Con-A nonreactive. Thus, there were three different patterns of AFP variants. The clinical implications are discussed.