Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ovarian and endometrial carcinomas are the two most common malignancies of the female reproductive system. Endocan is a proteoglycan that is specific to vascular endothelial cells. Increased serum levels have been reported in some tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate serum endocan levels in cases of endometrial and ovarian cancer. METHODS: Levels of serum endocan were assessed in 27 patients with endometrial cancer and 20 with ovarian cancer, and in 38 control subjects with benign ovarian or endometrial disorders. Thirty-five healthy subjects were also included. Serum endocan levels were measured using a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum CA-125 levels were also measured in the patient and control groups. RESULTS: All patients had detectable serum endocan levels among endometrial and ovarian cancer groups except six cases. However, in the benign and healthy control groups, all endocan levels were undetectable except for two cases in the benign group and three in the healthy control group. Serum endocan levels were significantly higher in the entire patient group than in the controls (P<.0001 for both). Serum endocan levels in cases of endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer were higher than in both the control groups (P<.0001 for both). Evaluation of all groups revealed a positive correlation between serum CA-125 and endocan levels (r=.43, P<.0001). CONCLUSION: Although benign ovarian or endometrial disorders do not lead to expression of endocan, malignant cases can result in measurable endocan levels. This may be useful in differentiating benign and malign diseases of the endometrium or ovary.