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α1-Foetoprotein in malignen Tumoren

α1-Foetoprotein in malignant tumors

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Summary

α1-Foetoprotein was extracted from eight primary liver cell carcinomas and three other carcinomas with α1-foetoprotein synthesis. Quantitative measurements in human tissues and in biological fluids yielded the following results:

  1. 1.

    The α1-foetoprotein concentration in human tissue varied between 12 µg/g and 630 µg/g wet weight. When the histological aspect was similar, the α1-foetoprotein level in primary tumor tissue and in metastases was in the same range.

  2. 2.

    The total α1-foetoprotein content ranged from 0.8 mg to 1415 mg/tumor.

  3. 3.

    The α1-foetoprotein concentration in the serum showed a double logarithmic correlation of 0.61 with the tumor weight, of 0.69 with the α1-foetoprotein concentration in the tumor tissue and of 0.90 with the total α1-foetoprotein amount in malignant tissue.

  4. 4.

    In an individual patient there exists a good correlation between α1-foetoprotein concentration in the serum and total α1-foetoprotein content in the tumor tissue; on the other hand, in clinical diagnosis it is impossible to calculate the unknown tumor weight or the α1-foetoprotein concentration in malignant tissue from a given serum concentration of the tumor antigen.

  5. 5.

    It could be demonstrated by extrapolation to the immunologically detectable critical tumor weight that tumors should be found theoretically in double diffusion techniques in the serum under clinical conditions when the tumors reached weights between 8 g and 335 g.

  6. 6.

    The circulating amount of α1-foetoprotein is between 2.9 and 9.9 times higher than the tumor antigen content in the malignant tumor tissue.

  7. 7.

    Eight crystalline preparations of α1-foetoprotein isolated from tumor homogenate, plasma, ascites and pleural effusions of patients with hepatocellular carcinomas showed identical antigenic determinants proved by double diffusion with 17 antisera obtained by immunization of rabbits with different pure human α1-foetoprotein preparations isolated from foetal material, tumor extracts, plasma, ascites or pleural effusions and with antisera to dog, beef and pig α1-foetoprotein. These results suggests an active elimination of α1-foetoprotein from the tumor cells in the serum. It is likely that the tumor antigen synthetized in malignant tissue and the α1-foetoprotein secreted in biological fluids have identical structures.

Zusammenfassung

α1-Foetoprotein wurde aus acht primären Leberzellcarcinomen und drei weiteren α1-Foetoproteinbildenden Tumoren extrahiert. Quantitative Bestimmungen im Tumorgewebe und im Serum ergaben folgende Ergebnisse:

  1. 1.

    Die α1-Foetoproteinkonzentration im Tumorgewebe betragt zwischen 12 µg/g und 630 µg/g Feuchtgewicht. Bei gleichem histologischen Aufbau ist der α1-Foetoproteinspiegel in Primärtumor und Metastasen gleich.

  2. 2.

    Der Gesamt-α1-Foetoproteingehalt lag zwischen 0,8 mg und 1415 mg pro Tumor.

  3. 3.

    Die α1-Foetoprotein-Serumkonzentration zeigt eine doppeltlogarithmische Korrelation mit dem Tumorgewicht von 0,61, mit der α1-Foetoproteinkonzentration im Tumorgewebe von 0,69 und mit dem Gesamtgehalt von α1-Foetoprotein im malignen Gewebe von 0,90.

  4. 4.

    Eine klinisch für den Einzelfall verwertbare Beziehung besteht nur zwischen α1-Foetoprotein-Serumkonzentration und Gesamtgehalt von α1-Foetoprotein im Tumorgewebe; es ist nicht möglich von einer bekannten Serumkonzentration auf das Tumorgewicht oder die α1-Foetoproteinkonzentration im Tumorgewebe zu schließen.

  5. 5.

    Die Extrapolation auf die theoretisch immunologisch nachweisbaren Tumorgewichte ergab, daß Tumoren mit Gewichten zwischen 8 g und 335 g unter klinischen Bedingungen in der Doppeldiffusion im Serum entdeckt werden können.

  6. 6.

    Die zirkulierende Tumorantigenmenge ist 2,9–9,9mal größer als der α1-Foetoproteingehalt in malignen Geweben.

  7. 7.

    Acht kristalline α1-Foetoproteinpräparate, die aus dem Tumorgewebe, dem Plasma, Ascites und Pleurapunktat isoliert wurden, zeigten immunologisch bei der Prüfung mit 17 Anti-α1-Foetoprotein-Seren, die durch Immunisierung mit verschiedenen menschlichen foetalen, Tumor-, Hepatomserum-, Hepatomascites-und Hepatompleurapunktat-α1-Foetoproteinen gewonnen wurden, sowie mit Anti-Hunde-, -Rinder- und-Schweine-α1-Foetoprotein-Seren eine völlige Identität der antigenen Determinanten. Diese Ergebnisse sprechen gegen eine unterschiedliche Struktur der in malignen Geweben gebildeten mit den in biologische Flüssigkeiten ausgeschwemmten Tumorantigenen und für eine aktive α1-Foetoprotein-Elimination aus dem Tumorgewebe in das Serum.

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  1. Medizinische Universitätsklinik Marburg a. d. Lahn, Germany

    F. G. Lehmann & D. Lehmann

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V. Mitteilung über α1-Foetoprotein. I.: Clin. chim. acta33, 197 (1971); II.: Z. klin. Chem. u. klin. Biochem.9, 309 (1971); III.: Z. klin. Chem. u. klin. Biochem.11, 339 (1973); IV.: Klin. Wschr.52, 216 (1974).

Über Teilergebnisse wurde auf dem 7. Symposium der European Association for the Study of the Liver, Arnheim, 7. Sept. 1972 (abstract: Digestion6, 249 (1972) und auf der 27. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten, Frankfurt, 7. Okt. 1972 berichtet.

Mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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Lehmann, F.G., Lehmann, D. α1-Foetoprotein in malignen Tumoren. Klin Wochenschr 52, 222–232 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01468595

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