Serum beta 2 microglobulin levels in patients with testicular cancer.

To determine whether serum beta 2 microglobulin could be useful as a tumor marker in patients with testicular cancers, sera stored in our serum bank from 23 patients were assayed by radioimmunoassay for beta 2 microglobulin levels. Sera were selected from 12 preorchiectomy patients, 8 patients who had undergone orchiectomy, and 3 patients who had undergone orchiectomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. Patients with other genitourinary tract disorders and normal age and sex-matched controls were assayed for comparison. The laboratory range for normal serum beta 2 microglobulin values was 1.1 to 2.4 mg/L. Patients without documented testicular tumors had values ranging from 1.4 to 9.7 mg/L. Values for normal controls ranged from 1.7 to 2.4 mg/L. Only 3 patients (12.5 per cent) had elevated serum beta 2 microglobulin values. Serum beta 2 microglobulin seems to have no value as a tumor marker in patients with testicular tumors.