Lipid associated sialic acid in plasma in patients with advanced carcinoma of the ovaries.

Plasma lipid associated sialic acid (LASA-P) was evaluated in relation to disease status and disease progression in a total of 52 consecutive patients with advanced carcinoma of the ovaries (FIGO stage III and IV). Forty-three individuals with benign gynecologic diseases served as controls. There were three groups. Group 1 included 23 untreated patients who had LASA-P values above normal before debulking operations. Group 2 consisted of 12 patients who completed 12 courses of chemotherapy after debulking operations and presented with negative findings at second look operation (SLO). LASA-P levels were measured in these patients prior to SLO. Eight of 12 patients had normal LASA-P values for a specificity rate of 67 per cent. Four patients had elevated values with no clinical evidence of disease. Group 3 had 17 patients who failed to respond to cytotoxic chemotherapy after initial debulking procedures. All patients in this group had persistent or recurrent disease that was documented at re-exploration or at SLO. Elevated LASA-P levels were noted in 14 of 17 patients for a sensitivity rate of 82 per cent. Rising LASA-P values in serial samples were the only signs of disease recurrence in three of five patients who completed 12 courses of chemotherapy and in whom SLO showed surgical evidence of disease. The predictive value for positive and negative results for all patients were 92.2 and 72.7 per cent, respectively. In spite of the relatively low sensitivity and specificity rates in groups 2 and 3, LASA-P can be used successfully as a valuable adjunct to monitor the course of the disease during treatment in patients with advanced carcinoma of the ovaries.