Relationship between CA 125 and progesterone production in women with ovarian carcinoma

Article Abstract:

Tumor markers are substances in the blood that, when found in abnormal quantities, suggest the presence of malignancy. They have been the subject of numerous investigations, many of which focus on the potential use of markers in the blood as a prognostic tool for the management of cancer patients. In this capacity, progesterone has been shown to have prognostic value among patients with ovarian cancer. The steroid hormone decreases as tumor volume shrinks during treatment and rises during tumor recurrence. Both prognosis and likelihood of recurrence may be estimated using plasma progesterone concentrations. The tumor marker CA 125 is one of the most widely studied markers and has been examined in a number of different cancers. For this reason, it would be important to examine CA 125 and progesterone simultaneously in a patient population, to determine if the two would provide redundant or independent information about the state of tumor growth. To make these determinations, progesterone and CA 125 measurements were made on plasma specimens from 48 patients with ovarian cancer. There was a high correlation between progesterone and CA 125, though the correlation was not perfect. Both progesterone and CA 125 fell during chemotherapy and rose one to four months in advance of recurrence. CA 125 was more sensitive in cases where small cancers were involved; progesterone was a better predictor of five-year survival than was CA 125. Taken together, they predicted all recurrences. The authors suggest that the high correlation between the two substances indicates that they are either both dependent upon the same structure or both dependent on structures influenced by the same factors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Progesterone, Tumor markers

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Survival of patients with ovarian cancer: apart from stage and grade, tumor progesterone receptor content is a prognostic indicator

Article Abstract:

Many cancer cells have receptors for sex hormones on their cell surfaces. In the cases of breast cancer and cancer of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), the presence or absence of receptors for estrogen or progesterone has well-documented prognostic significance. Although some studies have examined the prognostic value of sex hormone receptors on ovarian cancer cells, the small number of patients or a superficial statistical analysis prevents useful conclusions from being drawn. To rectify this situation, a Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the data on sex hormone receptors, and other prognostic variables, in 100 patients with primary ovarian cancer. The patients' tumors were analyzed for the presence of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and androgen receptors (androgens, of course, are male sex hormones, which are also present in smaller amounts in women). The presence of estrogen receptors on the tumor cells did not correlate with survival. However, both the presence of progesterone and androgen receptors correlated with significantly better survival. Of 100 patients, 10 were negative for both progesterone and androgen receptors; all 10 died of their disease. Analysis revealed that tumor grade, tumor stage, and progesterone receptor status were independent predictors of survival. Although androgen receptor status was correlated with survival, it was also correlated with other prognostic variables and thus is not an independent factor. The relative risk of patients lacking progesterone receptors on their ovarian tumor cells was 2.3 times that of patients with progesterone receptors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Patient outcomes, Mortality, Measurement, Hormone receptors, Identification and classification, Hormones, Sex, Sex hormones

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Cytofluorometric analysis of the DNA content in ovarian carcinoma and its relationship to patient survival

Article Abstract:

Flow cytometry has been used to automate the estimation of DNA content in cells, and in several types of cancer this information has proved to be a useful predictor of tumor progression. Archival blocks of paraffin-embedded ovarian cancer from 41 patients have been used to correlate the cellular DNA content with prognosis. All patients had received irradiation following surgical removal of the ovaries. Cells obtained from the paraffin-embedded material were stained with propidium iodide, a fluorescent stain for DNA, and measured with an EPICS flow cytometer. Sixteen patients showed a cellular DNA content which was consistent with a normal diploid chromosome content; the remainder were abnormal (aneuploid). The ploidy (number of chromosome sets) of the cells was independent of other histological features of the tumor. The overall survival of the patients with the diploid chromosome complement was 74 percent, in contrast with the 22 percent survival rates of the aneuploid patients. There were no significant differences in the treatment parameters of the two groups. The significance of ploidy as a prognostic factor was greater in the stage III tumors, and was not statistically significant for Stage I and II tumors. DNA content may prove to be a useful method of identifying patients with a poor prognosis who therefore are candidates for more aggressive therapy. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Flow cytometry, Cancer, Ploidy

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