A case report of two patients with primary lung cancer secreting human chorionic gonadotropin
Miyake, M.; Ito, M.; Wada, H.; Taki, T.; Mitsuoka, A.; Hitomi, S.
Journal of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery 34(4): 519-523
1986
Accession: 004553668
We confirmed HCG secretion by the PAP method in 2 patients with lung cancer showing high serum HCG. Both patients were 70-year-old males, one with giant cell carcinoma, and the other with large cell carcinoma. The excised tissue specimens stained by the PAP method were positive for HCG; spindle-type tumor cells rather than giant cells were highly positive. This finding is different from that obtained in other tumors such as in germinoma. The courses of the patients were unfavorable, indicating that HCG predictive of a poor prognosis as in germinoma. Recently, the molecular heterogeneity of HCG has been examined by affinity chromatography on Concanavalin A (Con A)-sepharose. By determination of the Con A nonreactive fraction of HCG, the differentiation of the chest tumors secreting HCG may be possible.