Letter: Rivanol counterelectrophoresis compared with radioimmunoassay for the detection of alpha-fetoprotein.

Abstract

A letter comparing rivanol counterelectrophoresis (CEP) with radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the detection of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) is reported. Sera from 17 patients with histologically proven primary liver-cell carcinoma 25 patients with metastatic liver disease and 50 young surgical patients free of neoplastic disease were studied. AFP was labelled with iodine 125 for the RIA. CEP was modified by preceeding it with 1 step of rivanol concentration of the AFP. None of the normal sera or sera from patients with metastistic disease gave positive results of CEP. 14 of 17 sera from patients with primary liver-cell carcinoma were positive. With RIA normal levels (50 ng/ml) of AFP were detected in the normal controls in 15 of 25 patients with metastiatic liver disease and in 1 patient with primary liver-cell carcinoma. Intermediate values (100-500 ng) were found in 10 of 25 patients with primary hepatoma. Elevated values were detected in 14 of the 17 hepatoma patients. Although RIA is more sensitive than the rivanol CEP higher sensitivity did not result in an increased rate of detection but did result in an increase in borderline values which might be considered as false positives. It is concluded that rivanol CEP is preferable to RIA in the serological diagnosis of primary liver-cell carcinoma.