Immunoreactive inhibin-like material in serum and gastric juice of patients with benign and malignant diseases of the stomach.

Immunoreactive inhibin-like material (ILM) was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in serum and gastric juice samples of 23 fasting normal men, 27 men with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), and 21 men with carcinoma of stomach (5 for gastric analysis). Serum ILM levels in carcinoma of stomach patients (367 +/- 55.5 ng ml-1) were significantly higher than in normal men (15.4 +/- 2.6 ng ml-1; P less than 0.01) and in patients with CSG (109.8 +/- 17.7 ng ml-1; P less than 0.05). Sixty two per cent and 86% of patients with carcinoma of stomach showed elevated ILM levels which were higher than the highest noted in patients with CSG and normal men respectively.