The sL1CAM in sera of patients with endometrial and ovarian cancers

Michał Wojciechowski,Andrzej Malinowski,Ewa Głowacka,Miłosz Wilczyński,Anna Pękala-Wojciechowska

doi:10.1007/s00404-016-4226-3

Abstract

PurposeL1CAM is a cell adhesion molecule suspected to play an important role in carcinogenesis. The objective of the study was to evaluate the level of soluble L1CAM in the sera of patients with endometrial and ovarian carcinomas and verify the feasibility of the sL1CAM as a marker of these carcinomas.Methods35 endometrial and 18 ovarian cancer patients were enrolled in the study. 43 patients with benign gynecological conditions constituted a control group. The sL1CAM serum level was measured with ELISA test in each patient and it was referred to the data from the surgical staging of the cancers.ResultsThe sL1CAM serum level was significantly lower in patients with endometrial cancer than in healthy women and slightly lower in the ovarian cancer group than in the control group. In the endometrial cancer group there was no correlation between sL1CAM concentration and cancer histopathology, stage or grade. sL1CAM concentration positively correlated with ovarian cancer stage and (not significantly) with grade.ConclusionsDespite the increasing data about the possible role of L1CAM as a strong prognostic factor of poor outcome in many cancers, we did not find evidence supporting the use of sL1CAM as a marker of endometrial or ovarian cancers.

Highlights

Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female genital tract in developed countries
In the endometrial cancer group there was no correlation between sL1CAM concentration and cancer histopathology, stage or grade. sL1CAM concentration positively correlated with ovarian cancer stage and with grade
Despite the increasing data about the possible role of L1CAM as a strong prognostic factor of poor outcome in many cancers, we did not find evidence supporting the use of sL1CAM as a marker of endometrial or ovarian cancers

Summary

Introduction

Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female genital tract in developed countries. The management of endometrial cancer consists of preoperative workup (dilatation and curettage, transvaginal ultrasonography, MRI, CT) followed by surgical staging (hysterectomy, bilateral salpingoophorectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy in patients at high risk of relapse), which is meant to establish the final diagnosis, essential for prognosis and proper treatment [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. These measures, are not sufficient to recognize the group of patients with early stage type 1

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