title: Circulating serum sVCAM-1 concentration in advanced ovarian cancer patients: correlation with concentration in ascites.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is associated with ovarian cancer progression but the origin of its soluble form (sVCAM-1) in serum is not well investigated. The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether the concentration of sVCAM-1 in serum correlates with the concentration in ascites, that represents local tumour environment, and with systemic inflammation, various clinicopathological characteristics, and patient outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six patients with advanced ovarian cancer were included in the study. Serum for sVCAM-1 analysis was obtained prior to surgery. Ascites samples were collected at the beginning of the operation. Clinical data were collected from patients' medical records. sVCAM-1 in samples was analysed by flow cytometric bead-based assay. The mean follow-up period was 11 months (range 0-23) from the time of surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum sVCAM-1 concentrations are positively correlated to ascites sVCAM-1 concentrations. There was a weakly positive correlation of serum sVCAM-1 with tumour size and no correlation with inflammatory tumour markers, FIGO stage or grade. Higher concentrations of sVCAM-1 were associated with poor disease outcome (death from ovarian cancer) in almost all cases before chemotherapy was started.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study demonstrating that serum concentrations of sVCAM-1 in advanced ovarian cancer patients correlate with sVCAM-1 concentrations in ascites, thus expressing the biologic potential of malignant disease to metastasis, rather than systemic inflammation. Higher serum and ascites sVCAM-1 concentrations might have predictive potential for different biologic behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jakimovska
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cerne
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Verdenik
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Borut
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kobal
keywords: flow cytometry; ovarian cancer; sVCAM-1