Abstract

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and hepatitis-associated antigen (HAA) have been checked by the method of agarose gel immunodiffusion with 303 Korean patients including 79 patients of primary hepatoma, 169 patients of miscellaneous liver diseases, 25 cases of extrahepatic malignant tumor, and 30 normal persons for the recent two years from July 1974 to June 1976 and the results are as follows. 1. AFP was positive in 46 of 79 cases (58.2%) with primary hepatoma, 2 of 92 cases with liver cirrhosis, and 1 of two neonatal hepatitis. 2. The occurrence of HAA in patients with primary hepatoma is 18 of 76 cases (23.6%) 3. AFP positive cases in hepatomas showed positive HAA in 15 of 51 (29.1%) and AFP negative cases showed 3 of 25 (12.0%) respectively. The frequency of HAA positive in hepatomas seemed to be higher in AFP positive cases than AFP negative. 4. The primary hematoma showed a tendency of higher incidence of AFP positivity in young age group than elderly persons.