Serum and cerebrospinal fluid human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in intracranial germ cell tumors

2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Seregni ◽  
M. Massimino ◽  
S. Nerini Molteni ◽  
F. Pallotti ◽  
B. van der Hiel ◽  
...  
2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Seregni ◽  
M. Massimino ◽  
S. Nerini Molteni ◽  
F. Pallotti ◽  
B. van der Hiel ◽  
...  

We report a retrospective study on serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and β-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) determination in a series of 30 patients bearing intracranial germ cell tumors. At diagnosis five patients had high serum and CSF AFP levels. No patient had positive serum AFP and negative CSF AFP or vice versa. Twelve of 30 patients had serum βhCG levels above 5 mIU/mL, eight had high βhCG only in CSF, and ten were completely negative. During treatment and follow-up both markers were accurate indicators of the response to therapy, decreasing rapidly and often becoming normal already after the first phase of treatment. We conclude that these two markers, and mostly βhCG, may be useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of the response to therapy of patients with intracranial germ cell tumors.


1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. E6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Rogers ◽  
Eliot C. Sims ◽  
Nicholas Plowman

Levels of human chorionic gonadotropin-beta (HCG-beta) are elevated in up to 43% of patients with intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) and are useful in the diagnosis of these tumors and the follow up of such patients. The ratio of blood HCG-beta to lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) HCG-beta in these patients at presentation has not been defined. Twenty-two patients with intracranial GCTs have been treated at St. Bartholomew's Hospital over the past 15 years. Two (17%) of 12 germinomas and seven (70%) of 10 nongerminomatous GCTs had elevated blood HCG-beta at presentation. Four cases of pineal region GCTs (one of 12 germinomas and three of 10 nongerminomatous GCTs) had paired, elevated, blood and lumbar CSF HCG-beta levels. The mean blood to CSF ratio was 1:10 (range 1.7-18.4), which is substantially lower than the ratio of 286:1 reported in systemic GCTs. The authors confirm the finding of a previous single report showing that ventricular CSF HCG-beta sampling via an accessible ventriculoperitoneal shunt reservoir may give a spuriously negative result, and they discuss the pathophysiology of the blood-brain barrier in the pineal region and the implications of the intrathecal administration of chemotherapy.


1984 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 931-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirofumi Naganuma ◽  
Hiroshi Inoue ◽  
Shuzo Misumi ◽  
Masaru Nakamura ◽  
Masaru Tamura

✓ Histological and immunohistochemical findings in three cases with primary intracranial germ-cell tumors are reported. Based on histological examination, they were diagnosed, respectively, as an endodermal sinus tumor with immature teratoid differentiation, teratoma and embryonal carcinoma, and choriocarcinoma and germinoma. The first case was presumed to be a combination of endodermal sinus tumor and germinoma. An immunohistochemical examination showed positive reactions to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the endodermal sinus tumor, and to human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the choriocarcinoma, but showed no reaction in the embryonal carcinoma. Human chorionic gonadotropin was demonstrated in syncytiotrophoblastic cells and CEA in a gland-like structure. The value of measuring CEA in cases of germ-cell tumors, in addition to AFP and HCG assays, is stressed, and the characteristics of CEA-positive tissue are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirokazu Takami ◽  
Shintaro Fukushima ◽  
Kohei Fukuoka ◽  
Tomonari Suzuki ◽  
Takaaki Yanagisawa ◽  
...  

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