Ligandinemia in primary liver cell cancer in rat and man

Ligandin was quantitated by radioimmunoassay in serum and, when possible, in tumors from patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, massive hepatic metastasis or nonhepatic primary neoplasms, and in rats and athymic (nu/nu) mice bearing transplantable ligandin-containing or nonligandin-containing rat hepatocellular carcinomas. Following transplantation of a ligandin-containing rat hepatocellular carcinoma in rats or athymic (nu/nu) mice, mean serum ligandin concentrations progressively increased and, within 4 months, exceeded normal serum ligandin concentrations by 10-fold. In 11 of 15 HBsAg negative patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, serum ligandin concentrations ranged from 82 to 551 (mean: 298) ng per ml; the mean ligandin concentration in the hepatic neoplasm was 32% of the ligandin concentration in normal liver. In 19 of 22 patients with extensive hepatic metastasis and in each of 20 patients with primary carcinomas without hepatic metastasis, serum ligandin concentrations were normal (7.0 +/- 4.0 ng per ml).