Evaluation of immunosuppressive acidic protein in human ovarian cancer

This study was conducted to determine the levels of serum immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) in Chinese female controls and patients with ovarian tumors; and to examine the usefulness of serum IAP as an additional diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. Serum IAP was determined by a single radial immunodiffusion method. Blood samples were collected prior to surgery from patients with ovarian tumors and from female controls. A histologic diagnosis was made, and staging was performed on the basis of the FIGO staging system for ovarian cancer. The studied subjects included 33 healthy controls, 33 patients with benign ovarian tumors and 32 patients with ovarian cancer (stage I-III, and recurrent). The data were analyzed by Student's t test, Fisher's exact test and the one-way ANOVA test. The mean (+/- SD) level of serum IAP in controls was 330 +/- 61 micrograms/ml. The calculated normal upper limit (mean plus 2 SD) was 452 micrograms/ml. The mean value (867 +/- 392 micrograms/ml) in ovarian cancer was significantly higher than the controls (p < 0.001) or the benign ovarian tumors (333 +/- 95 micrograms/ml) (p < 0.001). Five (15.6%) of 32 patients with ovarian cancer had false-negative results. Three (9.1%) of 33 patients with benign ovarian tumors showed false-positive IAP levels. The pathologic diagnosis of these three patients revealed that two had endometrioma and one had mucinous cystadenoma with hemorrhagic necrosis. Three of four patients with epithelial ovarian cancer of borderline malignancy had IAP levels only slightly higher than the cut-off point of 452 micrograms/ml.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)