title: Diagnostic value of anti-alpha FP antibody levels in a metastatic germ cell tumor of unknown primary site.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A 21 year old man with a metastatic germ cell tumor of unknown primary not responding to chemotherapy was scheduled to have a blind bilateral orchiectomy to eradicate the possible primary site although palpation and ultrasonography of the testicles had always been normal.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patient underwent a radioimmunoscintigraphy with Anti-alpha FP antibody scan (AFP-Scan).
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the basis of the scintigraphic results the patient underwent a left orchiectomy and additionally removal of the lymph node metastases. Histology revealed the presence of an in situ carcinoma in the left testis and a mixed tumor present in the abdominal lymph node metastases. Fluorescent in situ hybridization on tumor cells did not show any abnormalities related to chromosome 12, a finding connected with the somatic type of germ cell tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-alpha FP antibody scan was helpful in detecting the primary site and saving the life of the patient without resulting in hypogonadism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Malamitsi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stathopoulos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kittas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chorti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colialexi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hadziyannis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Proukakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002881:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 12; D018237:Germinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D009919:Orchiectomy; D016719:Radioimmunodetection; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins