[Gynecological cancer and ferritin--a study on the carcinofetoplacental ferritin]

Serum and tissue ferritins were quantitated by a radioimmunoassay kit (SPAC KIT, Daiichi Radioisotope Lab.) and a diagnostic implication of serum ferritins in patients with gynecological diseases was evaluated. In order to investigate the potential use of tumor marker as a feto-placental antigen (protein), ferritin from ovarian cancer was compared with ferritins from normal adult and feto-placental organs. Serum ferritin levels were significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma, Krukenberg's tumor, cervical squamous cell carcinoma and other malignant diseases than in normal women. Among adult organs the kidney and spleen showed the highest and the heart the lowest ferritin content. The ferritin contents of the kidney and spleen were 78.4 micrograms and 76.2 micrograms/g wet weight, respectively and that of the heart was 5.7 micrograms/g wet weight. The ferritin contents of other adult organs ranged from 10 to 25 micrograms/g wet weight. On the other hand the placenta showed the highest and the heart and stomach the lowest ferritin content among feto-placental organs. The ferritin content of the placenta was 7 micrograms/g wet weight. The ferritin contents of other fetal organs were only half as in the placenta. The ferritin contents of ovarian cancers ranged 6 to 8 micrograms/g wet weight and was almost identical to that of the placenta.