Tissue, intact ovarian

Ovarian cancer patients with progressed disease often present with ascites/ peritoneal fluid. In some women, ovarian cysts are detected containing cystic fluid. The concentrations of suPAR in these body fluids were compared with those in serum made from peripheral blood and blood aspirated from the surface veins on the tumor in 77 patients admitted for surgery of ovarian tumors [21]. In this study, elevated levels of suPAR were measured in serum from peripheral blood and tumor blood in the patients with more advanced disease. However, the concentrations of suPAR in the body fluids were quite different, in serum the measured concentrations were between 46 and 98 pmol/liter, in ascites/peritoneal fluid concentrations were between 293 and 586 pmol/liter, and in cystic fluids the concentrations were even higher, that is 651-8468 pmol/liter. The concentrations of suPAR in cystic fluids clearly separated benign and malignant cysts with predictive values above 90%. The levels of suPAR in cystic fluids could therefore be used in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer patients. The suPAR in the cystic fluids was present both in intact and cleaved forms and at least some of the suPAR(I-III) was not occupied by uPA [21]. In another study, tumor tissue, serum, ascites, and urine from ovarian cancer patients were analyzed for their content of the different uPAR forms. Whereas all of tumor lysates, ascites, and urine contained uPAR(I-III) and uPAR(II-III), domain I was only present in urine samples. In serum, only intact suPAR was detected [82], The antibodies used for identification were mAb R3 (domain I) and mAb R2 (domain III). 

---