Serum Alpha Fetoprotein and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in the Diagnosis and Management of Nonseminomatous Germ-Cell Testicular Cancer

Abstract

Although alpha fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin are present in the serum of some patients with testicular tumors, measurement of these substances has had limited clinical value because the conventional assays are relatively insensitive. With the development of radioimmunoassays for alpha fetoprotein and for the beta-glycoprotein chain of human chorionic gonadotropin, it is possible to detect much lower serum levels of these products. Preliminary reports have suggested that serial determinations of these markers by radioimmunoassay can be useful clinically in patients with nonseminomatous germ-cell testicular tumors.^{1 , 2} We here describe our 22-month experience with the measurements of alpha fetoprotein and human . . .