Is inhibin a useful serum marker for postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian cancer?

R.G. Cigăran, R. Botezatu, A.M. Panaitescu, G. Peltecu, N. Gică

Rezumat: Ovarian cancer is one of the most common causes of death in women, and epithelial ovarian cancer is the most frequent type. It is often diagnosed in an advanced clinical stage (stage III or IV) and the long-term survival rate is low. One of the reasons is that the available diagnostic tests are limited by their sensitivity and specificity characteristics. The early detection of ovarian cancer is the key to reduce the mortality and morbidity. It is known that CA 125 is used for the diagnosis and follow-up of epithelial ovarian cancer, and inhibin is a sensitive marker for mucinous and granulosa-cell tumors of the ovary. But there are some studies which suggest that serum inhibin is also elevated in some postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian tumors. Inhibin is an ovarian hormone involved in the regulation of fertility, decreasing to undetectable levels at menopause. Its increase in postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian cancer led to a series of studies which evaluated the possibility of inhibin being a serum marker for epithelial ovarian cancer. Despite the numerous reviews, the exact role of inhibin in epithelial ovarian cancer has not been established yet. It is accepted that combinations of biomarkers may improve ovarian cancer detection. Inhibin may be one of these, but larger studies are needed to prove its accurate utility in epithelial ovarian cancer. Finding the particularities of serous type of ovarian cancer which secrete inhibin may lead to some conclusions. Also, it is essential to determine the mechanism through which inhibin level is increased in women with epithelial ovarian cancer.
Cuvinte cheie: inhibin, epithelial ovarian cancer, serum marker