title: Multiple immunoreactive inhibin proteins in serum from postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: Inhibin is an ovarian protein previously shown, using a nonspecific assay, to be elevated in serum of women with ovarian cancer. However, inhibin is secreted in multiple biochemical forms, including dimeric inhibin A and B and alpha inhibin precursors (pro-alphaC), each of which can now be specifically measured. We have examined the secretion of inhibin B and pro-alphaC inhibin in serum from women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) for the first time, and have compared these analytes to inhibin A and total inhibin (inhibin A + B + pro-alphaC) as potential serum markers for EOC in postmenopausal women. Of all the immunoreactive inhibin proteins studied, the best serum marker was pro-alphaC, with 22% of women with EOC having levels that exceeded the range of values in women without EOC. Since CA 125 and pro-alphaC levels were not significantly correlated, combination of these markers resulted in 87% of EOC cases having elevated preoperative serum levels, a 9% increase over CA 125 alone. These data suggest that alpha inhibin secretion, especially pro-alphaC, may be useful in addition to CA 125 as a serum marker for EOC in postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02905, USA.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lambert-Messerlian
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Canick
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Gajewski
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Seifer
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Schneyer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D017698:Postmenopause
chemical_list: D007265:Inhibins