Lentil-lectin-reactive alpha-fetoprotein in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant liver disease.

Affinity chromatography of serum on lentil lectin bound to Sepharose 4B has been used to identify different forms of alpha-fetoprotein in serum of patients with liver disease. We studied eight patients with non-malignant liver disease, finding that 7-15% of the serum alpha-fetoprotein bound to the lectin. In contrast, for 15 patients with malignant liver disease, 25-83% of the serum alpha-fetoprotein bound to the lectin. Evidently, this simple technique can be used effectively to differentiate these two conditions.