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Free hCGβ and Nongonadal Neoplasms

  • Conference paper
Glycoprotein Hormones

Part of the book series: Serono Symposia USA ((SERONOSYMP))

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Abstract

The production of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its free alpha subunit (hCGα) and beta subunit (hCGβ) by nongonadal neoplasms is controversial. Following the initial report (1), numerous studies have provided indirect evidence for the production of hCG, hCG-like substances, or free subunits by nongonadal cancers (2–8). Indeed, between 1973 and 1985, 105 studies reported immunoreactive hCG in sera of nontrophoblastic tumor patients; between 1962 and 1986, 107 investigations showed the immunocytochemical localization of hCG in various tissue (9, 10). However, these results were questionable, since most investigations used polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies lacking the required specificity. One of the major problems was that most antibodies cross-reacted with human luteinizing hormone (hLH) (6, 11, 12). More recently developed assays based on monoclonal antibodies continued to display low, but significant, cross-reactivity with hLH (13–17). More importantly, most assays were unable to distinguish between the intact hCG molecule and the free hCGβ-subunit. Indeed, the observed cross-reactivity of intact hCG varied between 3% and 100% in radioimmunoassays used for the detection of free hCGβ. It was much lower, but still significant (0.2% to 4%), with most immunoradiometric assays (m-IRMAs) for free hCGβ based on monoclonal antibodies (13–15, 18–20). Finally, the nomenclature for hCGβ assays is ambiguous, since the same designation was given to at least two types of assays with widely different specificities, including those measuring only the free hCGβ-subunit and those measuring both intact hCG and the free hCGβ-subunit (21, 22). Similarly, the nomenclature for hCG assays may be misinterpreted, since these assays also measure the free hCGβ-subunit in addition to hCG (23).

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  1. D. Bellet
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  2. N. Rouas
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  3. I. Marcillac
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  4. F. Housseau
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Irving Center for Clinical Research Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 10032, New York, NY, USA

    Joyce W. Lustbader Ph.D.

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, GA, USA

    David Puett Ph.D.

  3. Eppley Institute for Research, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 68198, Omaha, NE, USA

    Raymond W. Ruddon M.D., Ph.D.

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Bellet, D. et al. (1994). Free hCGβ and Nongonadal Neoplasms. In: Lustbader, J.W., Puett, D., Ruddon, R.W. (eds) Glycoprotein Hormones. Serono Symposia USA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8386-4_20

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