[Carcinofetal antigens. III. Further carcinofetal antigens (author's transl)]

The occurrance and significance of important carcinofetal antigens other than AFP and CEA are reported. These included the alpha 2 H-protein which is produced in the liver and increases in serum of patients with various tumors, the fetal sulphoglycoprotein antigen FSA from the gastric juice of patients with gastric cancer, the carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase (REGAN-isoenzyme)which is found in the serum of patients suffering from e.g. bronchogenic, mammary, urogenital and gastrointestinal carcinomas, the beta-S-fetoprotein which is most likely to be identical with C-reactive protein, gamma-fetoprotein, the carcinofetal antigen in glial tumors (CFGA); ectopic production of placental hormones like human gonadotropin, placental lactogen, plasminogen-activators; leukemia-associated antigens. Furthermore, some other less known carcinofetal antigens are mentioned.

Alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in gastric cancer juice

Gastric juice was neutralized (nGJ) in vivo by 80 ml of a phosphate buffer containing radiolabelled vitamin B12 as dilution indicator. Unprocessed nGJ was analyzed in the double gel diffusion technique for the presence of serum proteins using monospecific antisera. Alpha1-Acid glycoprotein (AGP) was found in a high incidence (36 out of 38 subjects) in nGJ of gastric cancer patients. AGP was also observed less frequently in nGJ of patients with Billroth II resections (6/15), metaplasia (11/52), gastric ulcer (3/24), chronic atrophic gastritis (2/26) and chronic gastritis (3/63). AGP was absent in the control group (0/21), in patients with surface gastritis (0/38) and in subjects with normal acid secretion (0/45). Immunochemical studies demonstrated no identity of AGP with human "gastrointestinal tumor associated antigens." In 7 out of 17 AGP positive samples immunochemical differences between gastric and serum AGP were observed.