CLINICAL USE OF HCG AND HCG-BETA DETERMINATIONS

Recent advances in our understanding of hCG/hCGbeta synthesis by troph oblastic and nontrophoblastic tissues together with improved technique s for measuring hCG have helped to define the role of hCG as a clinica l marker. HCG determination by sensitive immunometric assays enables d etection of hCG immunoreactivity in normal men and women. It facilitat es early detection of normal pregnancy and significantly contributes t o the diagnosis of various pregnancy-related disorders, such as ectopi c pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, hydatidiform mole, choriocarcinoma or Trisomy 2 1. Further, determination of this marker is immensely hel pful to guide curative intervention in testicular cancer. For diagnosi s and follow-up of patients with testicular cancer, a method measuring both hCG and hCGbeta or separate methods for each component are recom mended, because a significant portion of seminoma exclusively secrete free hCGbeta. Also, hCGbeta production by other than trophoblastic mal ignancies has been well recognized. A possible clinical use of hCGbeta as a marker of cancers of the bladder, pancreas or biliary tract is c urrently debated.