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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
An Orthotopic Model of Serous Ovarian Cancer in Immunocompetent Mice for in vivo Tumor Imaging and Monitoring of Tumor Immune Responses
Published on: November 29, 2010
The activity of thymidine phosphorylase as a new ovarian tumor marker
Elzbieta Miszczak-Zaborska1, Katarzyna Wójcik-Krowiranda, Robert Kubiak
1Department of Medical Biochemistry, Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry, Medical University of Łódź, 92 215 Łódź, Poland.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the thymidine phosphorylase (TP) activity of tumor cells and serum as a marker in patients with ovarian cancer.
Methods:
The activity of TP was measured by the spectrophotometric method in the cytosol of ovarian tumor tissues from 47 patients after surgery, and in the presurgery serum from the same patients. Ten women with normal ovaries, treated surgically due to nononcological reasons served as a control. Microvessel density (MD) was evaluated in tumor using immunohistochemical methods. A relationship between TP activity and MD and clinicopathologic features was investigated.
Results:
A significantly higher TP activity was stated both in malignant tumor and serum specimens from ovarian cancer patients when compared to the control. A positive correlation between the enzyme activity in the serum and neoplasmatic tissue was found. Neoangiogenesis is higher in ovarian cancer when compared to the group of borderline malignancy tumors but a reverse correlation between MD and TP activity in malignant tumors was observed. TP activity is significantly higher in more advanced neoplasmatic disease (FIGO III and IV) although no correlation between TP activity and grading or histopathological type of ovarian tumor was observed.
Conclusion:
Thymidine phosphorylase activity might be useful in diagnostic characterization of ovarian cancer.
