Blaakaer J, Micic S, Morris I D, Hørding U, Bennett P, Toftager-Larsen K, Djursing H, Bock J E
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1993 Dec 15;52(2):105-10. doi: 10.1016/0028-2243(93)90235-5.
In post-menopausal women with a malignant epithelial ovarian tumor the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level was found to be significantly lower compared with healthy controls. We demonstrated immunoreactive (i.r.) inhibin in 20% of controls which was elevated to 60% of women with an ovarian tumor and correlating strongly to FSH in the tumor group (P = 0.0002). Steroid hormone levels were comparable in the two groups. In women with ovarian tumors the survival time for the i.r. inhibin-producing women was found to be 4.6 years compared with 0.9 year, or 5.1 times longer than in the non-producing women (P = 0.002). The site of i.r. inhibin production in these post-menopausal women is unknown, but i.r. inhibin production by the developing ovarian tumor or by the post-menopausal ovary may be regarded as a defense mechanism against an elevated gonadotrophin level (the gonadotrophin theory) which would promote further tumor growth. The recent suggestion that the alpha subunit of inhibin is a tumor suppressor gene is consistent with these results. The serum i.r. inhibin or alpha subunit concentrations might be used as an aid to diagnosis or as a prognostic indicator of survival in women with an ovarian carcinoma.
在患有恶性上皮性卵巢肿瘤的绝经后女性中，发现其促卵泡激素（FSH）水平显著低于健康对照组。我们在20%的对照组中检测到免疫反应性（i.r.）抑制素，而在患有卵巢肿瘤的女性中这一比例升至60%，并且在肿瘤组中与FSH密切相关（P = 0.0002）。两组的类固醇激素水平相当。在患有卵巢肿瘤的女性中，产生i.r.抑制素的女性生存时间为4.6年，而非产生抑制素的女性为0.9年，前者比后者长5.1倍（P = 0.002）。这些绝经后女性中i.r.抑制素的产生部位尚不清楚，但发育中的卵巢肿瘤或绝经后卵巢产生i.r.抑制素可能被视为一种针对促性腺激素水平升高的防御机制（促性腺激素理论），这种升高会促进肿瘤进一步生长。最近关于抑制素α亚基是一种肿瘤抑制基因的观点与这些结果一致。血清i.r.抑制素或α亚基浓度可作为卵巢癌女性诊断的辅助手段或生存的预后指标。
