[Interleukin-6 and acute phase reactants in the diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma]

In 115 women (healthy controls and patients with benign and malignant gynaecological tumors) interleukin-6 was determined in blood plasma with the aim to decide whether elevated IL-6 levels may be used as a marker of ovarian carcinoma. In spite of statistically significantly increased IL-6 levels the authors do not regard at present the IL-6 values as a useful marker of ovarian carcinoma for two reasons: first, until now it is not decided whether elevated IL-6 values originate only from the cells of epithelial ovarian carcinoma or if they are also produced by tumour-associated macrophages or both and second: in a large number of cases (both controls and patients with malignant tumors) no IL-6 levels in blood plasma could be detected. For these reasons it seems to be more convenient (even economically) to determine in suspected cases and after exclusion of any inflammatory process the levels of prealbumin and transferrin. Significantly decreased levels of both have a high value of primary sensitivity (66% and 87% resp.).