مستويات الهابتوغلوبين-ألفا وأهميتها في التشخيص المبكر لسرطان المبيض

Abstract EN

Background: The role of CA-125 in early detection of ovarian cancer is still controversial, because of its lack of sensitivity and specificity and its inability to detect the early stages of ovarian cancer.

Therefore, it must be a surgical intervention to ensure that high levels of CA-125 refers to the presence of ovarian cancer, which is associated with the probability of the risk of death, in some major surgeries.

And even when determine the presence of cancer in some cases, using this marker, the stage of cancer will often be advanced, and therefore the treatment will be less effective.

Hence come the importance of reaching new tests to be used with or without CA-125 in order to obtain early detection of ovarian cancer in non-symptomatic women, and thus the therapeutic intervention will be in the right time.

Recently, it has emerged important diagnostic that acute-phase proteins, specially haptoglobin-alpha, could contribute to support the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Aim of the study: Evaluation the serum levels for Haptoglobin in patients with benign and malignant ovarian tumors, and determine the diagnostic importance of measuring serum levels for Haptoglobin-alpha in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Methods: Serum Haptoglobin-alpha levels were measured in 40 patients with early-stage ovarian cancer, and 30 patients of benign ovarian tumors, and 18 control cases, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay ELISA.

Results: levels of Haptoglobin-alpha significantly elevated in patients with early-stages ovarian cancer, compared to the control group and benign ovarian tumors group, and with cut-off value 3.38 mg/mL.

The sensitivity of Haptoglobin-alpha in differentiates the early stages of ovarian cancer and a benign ovarian tumor was 60% and specificity was 86.7%.

Conclusion: Serum levels of Haptoglobin-alpha significantly elevated in early stages of ovarian cancer, comparing with benign ovarian tumors.

Therefore, measuring serum levels of haptoglobin-alpha may support the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.