M3/M21 serum levels in women with adnexal masses and inflammatory diseases.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the cytokeratin tumor marker M3/M21 as a screening marker for ovarian cancer, as a predictive marker in patients with adnexal masses and as a prognostic factor in women with ovarian cancer. To determine the specificity of the M3/M21 test, we investigated M3/M21 serum levels in several benign conditions. This retrospective study comprises 37 patients with ovarian cancer FIGO stages Ia to III. Sera of patients with benign cysts, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, inflammatory bowel disease and liver cirrhosis were evaluated in 90, 10, 38, 10 and 20 cases, respectively. With a sensitivity of 57% and a specificity of 95%, M3/M21 is not suitable as a screening marker for ovarian cancer. Although M3/M21 is able to discriminate between ovarian cancer and benign adnexal tumors (univariate logistic regression, p = 0.0003), M3/M21 does not provide information additional to CA 125. M3/M21 serum levels are elevated in several benign conditions such as liver cirrhosis and inflammatory bowel disease. In ovarian cancer patients, elevated M3/M21 serum levels prior to therapy were associated with poor overall and disease-free survival (log-rank test, p = 0.03; log-rank test, p = 0.01, respectively). M3/M21, while obviously not suitable for screening or differential diagnosis of adnexal masses, could be useful as an additional prognostic factor in ovarian cancer patients.