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Measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin‐related immunoreactivity in serum, ascites and tumour cysts of patients with gynaecologic malignancies
Author(s) -
GROSSMANN M.,
HOERMANN R.,
GOCZE P. M.,
OTT M.,
BERGER P.,
MANN K.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1995.tb01697.x
Subject(s) - ascites , human chorionic gonadotropin , immunoradiometric assay , medicine , ovarian cancer , gonadotropin , endometrial cancer , hormone , endocrinology , cancer , radioimmunoassay , pathology , andrology
. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)‐like molecules have been reported to be elevated in a substantial fraction of serum samples from patients with various gynaecologic tumours and have been discussed as possible markers in these malignancies. Employing highly sensitive and specific immunoradio‐metric assays, we determined total hCG‐related immunoreactivity (hCG/hCGβ), as well as free α‐subunit (α‐SU), common to all glycoprotein hormones, in serum ( n = 106) and malignant effusions ( n = 26) of women with gynaecologic malignancies. For comparison, we also measured hCG/hCGβ in nonmalignant ascitic fluids ( n = 21). HCG/hCGd̃ serum levels were elevated (>5 IU L ‐1 ) in 39 of 106 patients (37%) with gynaecologic malignancies, whereas free α‐SU was above normal range only in seven (6.6%). Frequencies of hCG/hCGβ elevations were similar in women with endometrial ( n = 39), cervical ( n = 40) and ovarian ( n = 27) cancer, being 30%, 35% and 41%, respectively. In malignant ascites ( n = 15) and tumour cyst fluids ( n = 11) of patients with ovarian cancer, hCG/ hCGβ concentrations were significantly higher than in the corresponding serum samples and benign ascitic samples. Free α‐SU, on the other hand, was increased in only one of 26 malignant effusions. In conclusion, hCG/hCGβ is frequently elevated in serum of patients with endometrial, cervical and ovarian cancer and may serve as a tumour marker in these malignancies, particularly in patients where other markers are negative. In this respect, analysis of ascitic or tumour cyst fluids may be of higher diagnostic value as serum measurements.