[False-positive elevation of alpha-fetoprotein during induction chemotherapy in patients with testicular cancer]

During induction chemotherapy, we experienced the false elevation of the tumor marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in some disseminated testicular cancer patients. We discussed the possibility of the false elevation of the tumor marker AFP and evaluated the relationship between AFP and the markers of liver damage (GOT, GPT, LDH, etc.), the elevation of which were caused by induction chemotherapy of the VAB-6 regimen. We evaluated each variable of the eleven patients with disseminated testicular cancer who had been treated in our hospital between 1979 and 1984. The elevation of each marker of liver damage was induced by the VAB-6 regimen, immediately after the end of each induction chemotherapy but not by other induction chemotherapy regimens. A statistical study confirmed that there was a close correlation between the elevation of AFP and of the markers of liver damage, that is induced frequently by the induction chemotherapy of VAB-6 regimen.