| Abstract: | The molecular heterogeneity of serum alpha-fe-
toprotein (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 va-
riants, but the Con-A reactive variant was the ma
jor one. In 8 patients with benign liver disorder,
however, only the Con-A reactive variant of AFP
was detected. Over 50"70 0f 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. |
