Serum beta 2-microglobulin in malignant and benign diseases of the stomach and pancreas.

The levels of serum beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-m) were measured in 480 patients suffering from gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer and benign diseases of the stomach and pancreas. Elevated levels were found in both cancer and benign diseases, although they were more frequent in cancer. However, these differences did not appear to have any diagnostic significance, there was no evidence that the level of serum beta 2-microglobulin bore any relation to the prognosis in carcinoma of the stomach or in carcinoma of the pancreas.