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Free Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ß Subunit in Gonadal and Nongonadal Neoplasms¹

Departments of Molecular Immunology [I. M., F. T., J-M. B., P. G., B. M., C. B., D. B.], Medicine [J-P. D., C. L., P. R.], and Pathology B [P. D., M. P.], and the Unit of Intensive Care [V. R., B. E.], Institut G. Roussy, 38 Rue Camille Desmoulins, 94805 Villejuif, France; Hôpital de la Pitié, Boulevard de l'hôpital, 75013 Paris, France [P-M. L., F. R.]; Hôpital Antoine Béclère, 157 Rue de la Porte de Trivaux, 92140 Clamart, France [T. P.]; Department of Immunology, CNRS, URA 1484, Faculté de Pharmacie, 6 Avenue de l'Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France [J-M. B., T. P., D. B.]; and the Molecular Hepatology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129 [J.W.]

The diagnostic value of elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its free (hCG) and ß (hCGß) subunit serum levels as specific tumor markers for nongonadal malignancies is controversial. In the present report, different monoclonal based immunoradiometric assays specific for hCG and its free hCG and hCGß subunits have been used to reevaluate the presence of these molecules in the serum of patients with a wide variety of tumors. Serum samples from patients with newly diagnosed, persistent, or recurrent malignancies of either known (n = 717) or unknown (n = 32) primary site, healthy blood donors (n = 309), and nonmalignant disease controls (n = 86) were studied using four highly specific and sensitive monoclonal based immunoradiometric assays to hCG and its free subunits. Low level hCG elevations (<1000 pg/ml) were found to be common in cancer patients, normal subjects, and disease controls. However, serum levels >1000 pg/ml were highly diagnostic of gonadal tumors and specifically identified nonseminomatous testicular tumors. Significant serum elevations of free hCG subunit (as high as 3000 pg/ml) were found in approximately 96% of cancer patients, normal individuals, and disease controls. In contrast, free hCGß subunit levels (100 pg/ml) were detected in 70 and 50% of patients with nonseminomatous and seminomatous testicular cancers, respectively, and in 47% of bladder, 32% of pancreatic, and 30% of cervical carcinomas. All normal subjects and disease controls had free hCGß levels <100 pg/ml. Thus, the detection of the free hCGß subunit in serum of nonpregnant subjects was highly diagnostic of malignancy in general and specifically defines a subgroup of aggressive nongonadal malignancies.

¹ Supported in part by grants from Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer, Villejuif, and CA-35711 and HD-20469 from the NIH.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 2/26/92. Accepted 5/ 6/92.

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