title: Serum cytokine profiling as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in ovarian cancer: a potential role for interleukin 7.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if serum cytokine levels could be used as diagnostic or prognostic markers in ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cytokine bead array was done to simultaneously analyze 14 cytokines in the sera of 187 ovarian cancer patients with complete clinicopathologic data and follow-up, 45 patients with benign ovarian tumors, and 50 healthy controls. Serum levels of the well-known serum tumor marker CA-125 were routinely measured in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of CA-125, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-7, and IL-10 were elevated in ovarian cancer patients compared with patients with benign ovarian tumors. Analyzing the cytokines in combination with CA-125 showed that a combination of IL-7 and CA-125 serum levels could accurately predict 69% of the ovarian cancer patients, without falsely classifying patients with benign pelvic mass. The cytokines IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and IP-10 and CA-125 were associated with disease-free and overall survival in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, IL-7 and IP-10 were independent predictors of overall survival, although after inclusion of the clinicopathologic parameters, only stage and residual disease remained as independent predictors of survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL-7 levels were found to be strongly associated with ovarian cancer and could be used in combination with CA-125 to distinguish between malignant and benign ovarian tumors.
authors: Department of Gynaecology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors: Annechien J A
authors: AJ
authors: Lambeck
authors: Anne P G
authors: AP
authors: Crijns
authors: Ninke
authors: N
authors: Leffers
authors: Wim J
authors: WJ
authors: Sluiter
authors: Klaske A
authors: KA
authors: ten Hoor
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Braid
authors: Ate G J
authors: AG
authors: van der Zee
authors: Toos
authors: T
authors: Daemen
authors: Hans W
authors: HW
authors: Nijman
authors: W Martin
authors: WM
authors: Kast
mesh_terms: D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D016207:Cytokines; D015851:Interleukin-7