Testicular tumour markers in tissue correlated to serum levels and clinical stage.

Clinical investigation of 11 patients with testicular tumour included tests for the marker substances AFP (alpha fetoprotein) and HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in serum and in tumour tissue, using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. In one case of pure seminoma, neither AFP nor HCG was detectable in tissue or in serum. In eight of ten patients with non-seminomatous germ cell tumour there was AFP-immunoreactivity in tumour tissue, and seven of them also had elevated serum levels of AFP. Five patients showed HCG-immunoreactivity in tumour tissue and the same number had elevated serum levels of HCG. The findings indicated good correlation between immunoreactivity of tumour tissue, serum level of the tumour markers and clinical stage of the neoplastic disease.