Pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein and alpha 2-pregnancy associated globulin in tumours of the female genital tract.

Abstract

Tumour tissues obtained from 35 patients with malignancies of the female genital tract were investigated for production of pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein (PS beta 1G) and alpha 2-pregnancy associated globulin (alpha 2-PAG). PS beta 1G was found in all five trophoblastic tumours studied and in 10 of the 30 nontrophoblastic cancers. alpha 2-PAG was not detected in any of the neoplastic tissues. In 18 of the patients with non-trophoblastic tumours PS beta 1G and alpha 2-PAG serum concentrations were also determined. No correlation between serum and tissue findings were noted. Thus, PS beta 1G does not seem to be a valuable serum indicator for monitoring the extent or variation of tumour mass in nontrophoblastic gynecological malignancies. Likewise, alpha 2-PAG is unlikely to serve as a clinical useful tumour marker in various gynecological cancers.