Alpha-Fetoprotein and hepatitis B antigen in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Blood from 394 unselected autopsy cases was examined for HB Ag, HB Ab and AFP. Liver morphology of 71 cases of cirrhosis with hepatoma and 32 cases of cirrhosis without hepatoma was studied in detail and correlated to HB Ag, HB Ab, and AFP. Significantly lowered humoral immunity to HB Ag exposure was established for the cirrhosis with hepatoma cases. The exposure rate for both cirrhosis cases with hepatoma and cirrhosis cases without hepatoma was the same (48%), but about 80% of each exposed group were either HB Ag or HB Ab positive. The cirrhosis with hepatoma group tended to be HB Ag positive and the cirrhosis without hepatoma group tended to be HB Ab positive. The lowered immune response seems to be specific to the hepatoma association, because the group with neoplasms other than the hepatoma reacted exactly the same as the group of the cirrhosis without hepatoma. Twenty-five per cent of the cirrhosis with hepatoma were associated with inactive cirrhosis and 75% were associated with active cirrhosis. Seventy-two per cent of the inactive cirrhosis cases with hepatoma were exposed to HB Ag, but only 42% of the active cirrhosis cases with hepatoma were exposed to HB Ag. On the morphological basis, the inactive cirrhosis was interpreted as an impaired cellular immunity and the active cirrhosis as a delayed hypersensitivity reaction. The possibility was discussed that both are important factors in the development of hepatoma preceded by cirrhosis. AFP tends to be positive in the inactive cirrhosis with hepatoma as well as HB Ag, but the relationship between AFP and HB Ag for hepatocarcinogenesis needs further investigation.