Clinical use of serum c-erbB-2 in patients with ovarian masses.
The c-erbB-2 (Her-2/neu) gene product has a large extracellular domain (ECD) and part of which could be identified in the serum. We measured the serum level of c-erbB-2 ECD in 93 patients, who presented with ovarian masses, with an enzyme immunoassay test and an elevated level was found in 5.5, 16.7 and 38% of patients with benign, borderline and malignant ovarian neoplasms, respectively. This serum marker may reflect the overexpression of c-erbB-2 gene in tumor tissues, which is associated with poor prognosis. However, measurement of c-erbB-2 ECD when used alone or in combination with CA 125 is not useful in differentiating benign from malignant ovarian tumors.
Cheung
T H
TH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong. thcheung@cuhk.edu.hk
Wong
Y F
YF
Chung
T K
TK
Maimonis
P
P
Chang
A M
AM
D000328:Adult; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics
D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases