title: [Significance of serum immunosuppressive substance (IS) levels in the field of gyneco-obstetrics].
abstract: To investigate the immune responses of patients with cancer, we assayed a newly found immunosuppressive substance (IS) by the single radial immunodiffusion method. This substance is extracted from ascites of colon cancer. The IS average level in 46 healthy women was 555.4 +/- 112.1 micrograms/ml. The normal upper limit should be 800 micrograms/ml. Seventy cases with uterine cervical cancer had a significantly higher IS level (667.0 +/- 189.8 micrograms/ml) than healthy women (t=3.57, p less than 0.001), especially in Stages III & IV. All 28 patients except one with recurrent cancer showed an IS level higher than 800 micrograms/ml. (1431.7 +/- 480. 9 micrograms/ml). Before recurrence was found clinically, the IS level became higher. In ovarian tumors, assay of the IS level yielded an interesting result: In 16 cases with benign tumors the level was 568.8 +/- 109.7 micrograms/ml. On the other hand, nine patients with ovarian cancer had levels over 800 micrograms/ml. These data suggest that the assay of IS substance may be useful for the staging of uterine cervical cancer, early detection of the recurrence, differentiation between benign and malignant ovarian tumors and so on.
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000032:analysis* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C038588:serum immunosuppressive factor, human