title: Serum MAGE-4 protein in ovarian cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We measured serum levels of MAGE-4 protein in patients with ovarian cancer to investigate the relationship between serum MAGE-4 positivity and prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of MAGE-4 protein were measured with an ELISA system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of MAGE-4 in patients with ovarian cancer were significantly higher than levels in patients with benign diseases. Serum MAGE-4 protein was considered positive in 22% of primary ovarian cancer patients. The positive rate was the highest in sera of patients with surface epithelial-stromal tumors, particularly serous adenocarcinomas (24%). The survival time after a primary surgical operation in ovarian cancer patients with serum MAGE-4 positivity was significantly shorter than that of MAGE-4-negative cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that serum MAGE-4 protein is a potential prognostic factor of reduced survival in ovarian cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, 830, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawagoe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ushijima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yakushiji
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Itoh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C095204:MAGEA4 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins