Chronobiologic aspects of urinary gonadotropin peptide (UGP)

When using urinary gonadotropin peptide (UGP) as a marker for ovarian cancer, a circadian rhythm of large amplitude is best assessed for improving preanalytic quality control, for specifying how often and when to sample and for resolving chronobiologic endpoints. In a patient (EH, 73 y) with an ovarian (Müllerian) adenocarcinoma, overall high UGP values occurred consistently around 07:00 (standard deviation, SD = 2 h), similar to the timing observed in a presumably healthy woman. The circadian rhythm of EH averages in amplitude about 45% of the daily mean value (SD = 15%). The results indicate the desirability of deriving time-specified reference limits in health for an improved diagnostic value of UGP. The circadian UGP pattern awaits tests of applications for a chronodiagnosis of ovarian cancer, for optimizing treatment efficacy by timing according to rhythms, and conceivably for detecting earliest precancer risk.