[Immunosuppressive acidic protein in patients with gynecologic cancer]

Immunosuppressive acidic protein(IAP) levels were measured in human sera by a single radial immunodiffusion using an IAP plate. Sera were obtained from healthy controls (79 females), patients with myoma uteri (53 cases), patients with benign ovarian tumors (44 cases) and patients with cervical (33 cases), endometrial (6 cases) and ovarian (33 cases) cancer. The mean IAP values for patients with myoma uteri (375 +/- 72 micrograms/ml), benign ovarian tumors (375 +/- 92 micrograms/ml), cervical cancer (506 +/- 236 micrograms/ml), endometrial cancer (563 +/- 159 micrograms/ml), and ovarian cancer (1051 +/- 466 micrograms/ml) were statistically significantly higher than that of controls (298 +/- 92 micrograms/ml). Elevated levels of IAP were found in sera of 11% patients with myoma uteri, 7% with benign ovarian tumors, 34% with cervical cancer, 83% with endometrial cancer and 94% with ovarian cancer. Elevation of IAP was recognized in 83% patients with endometrial cancer and in 100% of patients with ovarian cancer in stage I, while only 10% of patients with cervical cancer in stage I showed elevated IAP. No clear relationship between the IAP level and the stage of the disease in the patient or with the histological type was found. Serial IAP determination appeared to provide a useful marker in cancer patients. The measurement of serum IAP is recommended as an addition to the conventional diagnostic system.