Increased plasma levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator with endometrial and cervical cancer

Plasma concentrations of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (competitive radioimmunoassay), tissue-type plasminogen activator (sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and plasminogen activator inhibitor (functional assay) were measured in 17 women with endometrial cancer and 52 women with cervical carcinoma. Significantly increased plasma urokinase-type plasminogen activator antigen levels were found (11.3 +/- 4.7 ng/mL) in cervical cancer patients when compared with an age-matched control group (7.4 +/- 0.6 ng/mL). Women with endometrial cancer (9.9 +/- 2.0 ng/mL) showed a similar pattern of plasma urokinase-type plasminogen activator antigen levels. Patients with advanced cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages III and IV) revealed higher plasma urokinase-type plasminogen activator antigen levels than those with stages I and II disease. Compared with an age-matched control group, neither carcinoma group showed elevated plasma concentrations of tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor.