Serum -fetoprotein in hepatoma patients after liver transplantation.

a-l-Fetoprotein (AFP) was measured in the sera of 5 hepatoma patients following total hepatectomy and orthotopic liver transplantation. Immunosuppressive therapy, rejection episodes, and infection did not alter the serum level of AFP. Low AFP levels persisting posttransplantation indicated the presence of slow-growing residual tumor in 3 patients. A sharp increase in serum AFP levels preceded clinical evidence of rapid tumor growth in 1 patient. Disappearance of AFP in 1 patient who is still symptom-free after 9 months suggests little or no residual tumor. Serial AFP levels can be helpful in assessing the results of therapeutic attempts in patients with liver carcinoma.