CIRCULATING IMMUNOSTIMULATORY PROTEIN 90K AND SOLUBLE INTERLEUKIN-2-RECEPTOR IN HUMAN OVARIAN-CANCER

The tumor-associated antigen 90K is thought to play an important role in cellular immune defense against malignant cells. It is therefore of interest to investigate whether circulating 90K could be used as a pr ognostic variable in ovarian cancer, and whether this immunostimulator y antigen is related to other parameters known to be involved in the c ellular immune response. In the present retrospective study, circulati ng levels of antigen 90K were measured before primary surgery in 152 o varian-cancer patients. A very dose association between antigen 90K an d s-IL-2R concentrations was pointed out in a stepwise logistic regres sion model. Univariate analysis of overall survival revealed that anti gen 90K and s-IL-2R were associated with poor prognosis. In the multiv ariate Cox regression, however, neither antigen 90K nor s-IL-2R retain ed independent prognostic significance. Urinary neopterin was shown to be the only independent prognostic variable among the ''immunological parameters'' investigated. Additionally, residual disease after prima ry tumor debulking and histopathologic tumor grade were the most promi nent clinico-pathologic parameters for the independent prediction of p oor clinical outcome in ovarian-cancer patients. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.