Soluble Fas receptor and soluble Fas ligand in the serum of women with uterine tumors

Abstract

It is commonly accepted that apoptosis plays an important role in the death of normal and neoplastic cells. Related proteins and their receptors on cell surfaces regulate apoptosis. One of the best-characterized systems is the Fas-Fas ligand system. The aim of the study was to examine the concentrations of soluble Fas receptor (sFas) and the soluble ligand for the Fas receptor (sFasL) in serum of women with uterine tumors. The study included 42 women with uterine tumors. As a normal control, sera were obtained from 20 healthy female volunteers. The concentrations of sFas and sFasL in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA. Significant increases of the mean value of sFas and sFasL were found in the serum of women with uterine tumor compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). The mean levels of these parameters increased in consecutive stages of the clinical extent of the uterine cancer (I-III). The lowest concentration was observed in women with stage I and the highest in women with stage III of clinical extent according to FIGO. Apoptosis that appears to occur in the cancerous cells of malignant uterine tumors is associated with high levels of sFas and sFasL in serum.