Clinical usefulness of serum acute-phase reactants in patients with ovarian tumors

Concentrations of the following acute-phase reactants (APR) were determined in the sera of patients with benign and malignant ovarian tumors: haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, sialic acid, seromucoid (in sulphosalicylic acid supernatant), and trypsin inhibitory capacity. In patients with ovarian carcinomas significant increase (p less than 0.001) in all measured APR parameters as compared to healthy women and women with benign tumors was found. Moreover, the levels of haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin and trypsin inhibitory capacity were statistically lower (p less than 0.001) in nonmalignant than in malignant ovarian disease. No distinct statistical difference was confirmed between healthy controls and the benign tumor group as well as between ovarian carcinomas of Stages I--III and Stage IV.