Preoperative serum E-cadherin assay in patients with ovarian carcinoma

E-cadherin is a 120-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein involved in the calcium dependent adhesion of epithelial cells. Soluble E- cadherin fragment levels have been found to be significantly elevated in patients with different ma lignancies when compared to healthy controls (Katayama M, ct al. Br: J. Can cer 69, 580-585, 1994). The aim of this paper was to assess the clinical re levance of preoperative serum E-cadherin assay in patients with ovarian car cinoma. E-cadherin was measured with a solid phase enzyme immunoassay based on a sandwich method using two mouse monoclonal anti-human E-cadherin anti bodies. Preoperative serum E-cadherin levels were higher in 55 patients wit h ovarian carcinoma than in 31 patients with benign ovarian disease as cont rols, even though the difference did not reach the statistical significance (median value, range: 6615 ng/ml, 444-26092 ng/ml versus 5531 ng/ml, 1548- 12668 ng/ml, p=0.063). However, the subset of the 36 patients with FIGO sta ge III-IV ovarian carcinoma had significantly higher antigen levels (median value, range: 7205 ng/ml, 444-26092 ng/ml) when compared to controls (p=0. 039). Among patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma, preoperative serum E- cadherin correlated neither with the common clinicopathological prognostic variables nor with the response to chemotherapy and survival. Our data seem to show that the preoperative serum E-cadherin assay does not offer useful clinical information for the management of patients with ovarian carcinoma .