PRIMARY MEDIASTINAL MALIGNANT GERM-CELL TUMOR - SINGLE INSTITUTION EXPERIENCE IN CHINESE PATIENTS AND CORRELATION WITH SPECIFIC ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN BANDS

Ten Chinese patients were reviewed, all with mediastinal germ cell tum ours and treated in our centre during the past 8 years. Three patients with pure seminomas were given chemotherapy with or without radiother apy, All achieved complete remission with no relapse. Seven patients w ith non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) were given chemotherapy , with or without surgery, Two patients with rapid decay of alpha-feto protein (AFP) levels (half-life less than or equal to 7.2 days) during chemotherapy achieved complete remission with no relapse, Five patien ts with prolonged decay of AFP levels (half-life > 7.2 days) failed to achieve complete remission with initial chemotherapy and all but one patient died between 5 and 9 months later, One patient developed acute megakaryocytic leukaemia. Using isoelectric focusing, AFP bands speci fic to NSGCT were quantified, and comparison was made with the total A FP in five cases, In each case the change in NSGCT-specific AFP concen tration in response to therapy closely paralleled that of total AFP, E stimation of NSGCT-specific AFP offers no apparent advantage in monito ring disease response or progression.