Carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein and carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase in gastric carcinoma metastatic to the liver.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase (CPALP) were detected simultaneously in the sera and body fluids of two male patients with gastric carcinoma matestatic to the liver. At autopsy, widely disseminated gastric cancer of Borrmann III type with liver metastases was revealed in both bases. Histologically, they were moderately differentiated tubular and papillary adenocarcinomas with marked cellular atypia and necrosis. In Case 1, the properties of CPALP were identical to Nagao type CPALP, and in Case 2 the Variant type CPALP. Using immunofluorescence, CEA and CPALP were demonstrated in both primary and metastatic cells. However, only in Case 2 was AFP observed in some of the primary tumor cells.