Asialoglycoproteinemia in a case of primary hepatic cancer

This article reports on a case with the most unusual finding of asialoglycoproteinemia. The patient was a man aged 40 years suffering from primary hepatic cancer. Among the various serum glycoproteins tested, the concentration of the desialylated form of alpha 2-HSglycoprotein, transferrin and alpha 2-antitrypsin was markedly elevated. The asialoprotein/sialoprotein ratio varied with each glycoprotein. In the case of transferrin, the ratio changed considerably in the course of the disease, and was found to be clearly related to the change in size of the hepatic tumor.