Test for ovarian, uterine cancers promising

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Test for ovarian, uterine cancers promising

Last Updated: 2002-05-06 16:56:15 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Stenson

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - An experimental blood test may one day

help doctors detect ovarian and uterine cancers at earlier, more

treatable stages than is currently possible, preliminary research

suggests.

The test detects membrane fragments from tumors that have been shed into

the blood, explained study author Dr. Lyons, an

obstetrician/gynecologist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

" We hopefully can use these membrane fragments as markers for detecting

early stages of ovarian and endometrial (uterine) tumors, " Lyons told

Reuters Health.

In a study released here Monday at the annual meeting of the American

College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Lyons and colleagues

reported that the test could help differentiate between benign and

malignant ovarian disease and between early-stage and late-stage uterine

cancer.

Currently there are no early screening tests for either cancer. And

while uterine cancers can usually be successfully treated, most ovarian

cancers are diagnosed when they have already spread to other organs and

are difficult to treat.

The study involved more than 175 women who were healthy or had benign or

malignant ovarian disease or early- or late-stage uterine cancer.

When the researchers took blood samples from the women, they found tumor

membrane fragments in those with both ovarian and uterine cancers. In

addition, women with late-stage uterine cancer had more membrane

fragments in their blood than women with early-stage disease.

However, no membrane fragments were found in healthy women or those with

benign ovarian disease, results showed.

The study also found that certain proteins that have previously been

associated with these cancers--MMP-2, MMP-9 and Fas ligand--were present

on the membrane fragments.

Study author Dr. , also an obstetrician/gynecologist at

the University of Louisville, said that since these proteins also can be

elevated with other conditions, the new test would allow doctors to

better differentiate the underlying reason for elevated blood levels.

" This gives cancer specificity to the current markers, " said.

He said the new test might also be used with other proteins, such as

CA125, to determine whether elevated CA125 levels indicate ovarian

cancer or another condition such as endometriosis. CA125 is a protein

known to be elevated in patients with ovarian cancer.