LECTIN-AFFINITY ELECTROPHORESIS FOR THE DETECTION OF AFP MICROHETEROGENEITIES IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

Our aims were to ascertain the analytical performance and diagnostic e fficiency of a new lectin-affinity electrophoresis and antibody-affini ty blotting method for separating and identifying fucosylated AFP. We also compared the diagnostic efficiency of fucosylated AFP with that o f total AFP in the early diagnosis of neoplastic liver diseases. In 32 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in 19 subjects with benign liver diseases, total AFP was assayed using an enzyme immunoass ay, while AFP fractions (L(1), L(2) and to cathode L(3) fucosylated) w ere separated using lectin-affinity electrophoresis followed by antibo dy-affinity blotting. No significant difference was found between the total AFP values of patients with HCC and those of patients with benig n liver disease (p > 0.05). In patients with HCC the fucosylation inde x of AFP (L(3)%) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than that in pa tients with benign liver disease. Our findings suggest that fucosylate d AFP is of diagnostic value in differentiating between hepatocellular carcinoma and benign hepatic diseases, and that its measurement may b e useful in the early detection of hepatocarcinoma in patients with ch ronic liver disease.