Serum inhibin A and inhibin B levels in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

THE AIM:of our study was to examine serum inhibin A and inhibin B concentrations in ovarian cancer patients in relation to clinicopathological features and 5-year survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS:We enrolled 90 epithelial ovarian cancer patients in our study, aged 45-81 years, who underwent optimal cytoreductive surgery. In all patients, serum inhibin A and inhibin B concentrations were measured using a two-step sandwich type enzyme immunoassay before surgery. RESULTS:In the group of patients with ovarian cancer median serum concentration of inhibin A was 3.87 pg/mL (0.96-10.09) and inhibin B was 13.9 pg/mL (5.1-45.0). Median concentrations of inhibin A and B in relation to FIGO stage and histological subtype did not differ significantly. Inhibin A levels were significantly higher in patients with lower grading (G1 and G2) in comparison to those with higher grade G3 (p=0.001). There were no differences in inhibin B concentrations in relation to grading. The Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated no differences in survival rate in relation to inhibin A levels, while there was a stepwise impairment of 5-years survival with increased inhibin B level. In the group of patients with inhibin B levels higher than 20 pg/ml the survival rate was lower (p=0,00625, log-rank test). CONCLUSION:1. Higher inhibin A serum levels were found in patients with highly differentiated ovarian carcinoma compared to the group of patients with a poorly differentiated cancer, which may confirm the influence of inhibin A on cell proliferation processes. 2. A significant importance of inhibin B was demonstrated in the prediction of death within less than a five year period. The probability of survival in patients featuring high inhibin B levels was lower with statistical significance. This may indicate the need for further studies on how to block the inhibin B activation pathway in the ovarian carcinoma therapy.

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