title: Concomitant measurements of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum and peritoneal fluid of patients with benign and malignant ovarian tumors.
abstract: The multifunctional cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is produced by epithelial and mononuclear cells as well as by ovarian carcinoma cells. A prospective study was initiated to evaluate the clinical significance of systemic and local measurements of IL-6 concentrations in 67 patients with ovarian tumors. Eighteen patients who underwent laparotomy for ovarian carcinoma showed elevated levels of IL-6 in the serum as well as in the peritoneal cavity in comparison to patients with benign ovarian tumors. Furthermore, patients with advanced ovarian cancer, according to Figo-Stages III/IV, demonstrated higher IL-6 levels in the serum and ascites, respectively, than patients with Figo-Stages I/II reflecting low tumor burden. The results of the study suggest that IL-6 plays a key role in tumor-host interaction, particularly, in the possible facilitated spread of ovarian cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital, Frankfurt, FRG.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruppert
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Bender
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6