Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1997;76(10):1387-9.
doi: 10.1038/bjc.1997.565.

Serum M3/M21 in ovarian cancer patients

C Tempfer  1 , L Hefler, G Haeusler, G Sliutz, E Hanzal, A Reinthaller, C H Kainz
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Serum M3/M21 in ovarian cancer patients

C Tempfer et al. Br J Cancer. 1997.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Cytokeratins are polypeptides that constitute a subclass of intermediate filaments in epithelial cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the serum evaluation of M3/M21 in patients with ovarian cancer. This retrospective study comprises 75 patients suffering from ovarian cancer FIGO stages Ia-III. M3/M21 reached a sensitivity of 78%, a specificity of 85%, a PPV of 89% and a NPV of 83% using a cut-off level of 45 U 1(-1). Forty-four women developed recurrent disease after complete remission during the observation period. M3/M21 showed lead time effects in 19 patients, ranging from 2 to 8 months (median 3.2 months). Elevated M3/M21 serum levels before therapy were associated with a poor overall survival (log-rank test, P = 0.02). Considering these preliminary results, the value of M3/M21 as a serum tumour marker, i.e. to evaluate the tumour burden, seems promising.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cell. 1982 Nov;31(1):11-24 - PubMed
    1. Int J Biol Markers. 1988 Apr-Jun;3(2):127-8 - PubMed
    1. Cancer. 1993 Feb 15;71(4 Suppl):1559-64 - PubMed
    1. Int J Biol Markers. 1994 Apr-Jun;9(2):102-8 - PubMed
    1. Int J Biol Markers. 1994 Apr-Jun;9(2):109-14 - PubMed