PLACENTAL ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE AS A TUMOR-MARKER FOR SEMINOMA

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  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 42  (8) , 3244-3247
Abstract
A sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay was used in a retrospective study of serum levels of placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in testicular cancer. Sixteen of 28 men with active seminoma had elevated PLAP levels, and 71% had elevated levels of either PLAP, human chorionic gonadotropin, or both. Only 4 of 22 men with active nonseminomatous cancer had elevated PLAP levels, and the levels were normal in all control patients, including 33 men apparently cured of testicular cancer. In 6 of 10 serial studies, PLAP levels provided information not otherwise available that would have been useful clinically, and the levels never were elevated inappropriately. PLAP evidently is a clinically useful serum tumor marker for seminoma.