Soluble adhesion molecules in serum and cyst fluid from patients with cystic tumours of the ovary

The potential of the soluble forms of the adhesion moleculesICAM-1 (sICAM-1), CD44std (sCD44std) and E-cadherin (sE-cadherin)was tested for the diagnosis of benign and malignant cysticepithelial tumours of the ovary. Concentrations of sICAM-1,sCD44 std and sE-cadherin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay (ELISA) in the serum and cyst fluid obtained from 23 patientswith luteal cysts, 29 with cystadenomas, nine with dermoid cysts,five with borderline tumours and 11 with carcinomas. Serum concentrationsof sICAM-1, but not of sCD44std and sE-cadherin, were constantlyelevated compared with normal controls. Cyst fluid concentrationsof sICAM-1, sCD44std and sE-cadherin were elevated in borderlineand malignant tumours compared with cystadenomas (P = 0.034,0.006 and 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, our results suggestthat serum concentrations of adhesion molecules have no diagnosticvalue in ovarian tumours, whereas cyst fluid concentrationsmay facilitate distinction between benign lesions and borderlineor malignant tumours.