Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of serum level of prostasin, CA125, LDH, AFP, and hCG plus β in epithelial ovarian cancer patients

Objectives: The aim of this work was to compare and analyze the diagnostic value of serum prostasin, cancer antigen 125 (CA125), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG+beta) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and evaluate if their serum levels could be used as a potential diagnostic markers of EOC from benign tumors and healthy women. Materials and Methods: Preoperative serum samples of 110 women (24 healthy controls, 66 ovarian benign tumors, and 20 EOC) were tested for prostasin, CA125, AFP, and hCG+beta. The level of CA125, AFP, and hCG+beta serum tumor markers were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and the serum level of prostasin was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and LDH activity was measured by spectrophotometer and analyzed using SPSS version. Results: The Area Under the Curve (AUC) values of prostasin, CA125, LDH, AFP, and hCG+beta for the discrimination of EOC from benign and healthy controls were, respectively, 0.89, 0.91, 0.77, 0.54, and 0.65, and significant increase in serum levels of prostasin, CA125, and LDH were observed for EOC compared with benign and control groups. Conclusion: The present study showed that CA125 and LDH levels of serum increased in high stages, while prostasin level was decreased in high stages. The present results indicate that prostasin, CA125, and LDH are differentially expressed in EOC than in benign and healthy control population, that may be an indicative of a better diagnostic value, with higher sensitivity and specificity. Here the authors used a multimarker approach, consisting of CA125, AFP, beta hCG, prostasin, and LDH that could provide a more accurate tool for a differential diagnosis of patients with EOC.