A retrospective audit carried out in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, covering a period of 42 months, showed 19 benign conditions, that gave rise to elevated serum CA-125 concentrations. These included six patients with non-malignant gynaecological disease, six patients with abdominal disorders, and seven patients with lung disease. These observations confirm that false-positive elevations can occur and that care must be taken before attributing an elevated serum CA-125 as an indicator of ovarian malignancy.

SUMMARY Serum concentrations of fucose, sialic acid, and eight acute phase proteins were measured in single specimens from patients with cancer in order to determine whether the raised concentrations of protein bound sugars commonly found in cancer correlate with increased concentrations of the acute phase proteins. Strong positive correlations were found only with a,-acid glycoprotein, ai-antitrypsin, and haptoglobins. Changes in protein bound sugars and acute phase proteins were also examined in relation to patients' disease states. Serum fucose was raised more often in patients with advanced disease than in those in whom the spread of the tumour was more restricted; increased sialic acid concentrations, however, were found with a similar frequency in both these groups. Combined use of fucose and sialic acid values gave a high degree of marker positivity which could be only slightly improved on . The latter were either in hospital or attending outpatient clinics. Some were already receiving treatment and others had yet to start. Serum was separated by centrifugation and stored at -20°C until required for assay.

Summary. Maternal serum zinc concentrations were estimated during 244 normal pregnancies and 15 abnormal pregnancies. The serum zinc concentrations were lower in the anencephalic pregnancies than in the normal control subjects. The serum zinc levels in women whose pregnancies terminated in a spontaneous abortion were normal. There was no variation of serum zinc level with gestational age between 15 to 18 weeks in normal pregnancies.

CA 19.9, a carbohydrate structure definable by a monoclonal antibody, is a useful tumour marker in the serum of patients with gastrointestinal malignancy. We report for the first time an assessment of its value in patients with cancer of the bladder and prostate. Elevated levels were found in six of 12 patients with invasive or metastatic bladder cancer but in only two of eight patients with superficial tumours. All patients with cancer of the prostate had levels within the normal range. A long-term study of its value in monitoring disease activity in patients with cancer of the bladder is warranted.