Serum levels of vitamins A and E in women with ovarian cancer.

Serum concentrations of the vitamins A and E were measured in 38 postmenopausal women with either malignant, borderline, or benign epithelial ovarian tumors or with a normal ovary. No statistically significant differences were found in the levels of the vitamins between the various groups. The levels of both vitamins in the ovarian vein were also measured in malignant and benign ovarian tumors. The concentration of vitamin A in the ovarian vein of a patient with a malignant tumor was lower than in the peripheral vein, although the difference was not significant. The findings indicate that the vitamin A and E are not of great importance to the metabolism of epithelial ovarian cancer.