CARBOHYDRATE-DEFICIENT TRANSFERRIN MEASURED BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY AND CDTECT(TM) IMMUNOASSAY

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) was measured in three populat ions using anion-exchange chromatography followed by radioimmunoassay (CDTect(TM)) and a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) m ethod. The correlation between the methods in 50 consecutive clinical samples was good (r = 0.87). However, in a set of 49 samples with CDT concentrations close to the reference value of the methods, the correl ation was low (r = 0.51). In addition, among controls, no correlation between the methods was found (r = 0.10). Abnormal isoforms of transfe rrin were noted in 5% of the clinical samples. HPLC determination of C DT offers the advantage of identifying these isoforms of transferrin a nd thus reducing analytical pitfalls associated with the CDTect(TM) me thod.