The prognostic value of pretherapeutic tetranectin and CA-125 in patients with relapse of ovarian cancer

Objective. The aim of the study was to examine the prognostic values of, respectively, tetranectin (TN) and CA-125 measured in serum from patients presenting with relapse of ovarian cancer (OC). Methods. TN and CA-125 were measured in serum samples from 75 patients with relapse of OC before the start of second-line chemotherapy. The endpoint used was death of OC. The variables were analyzed by univariate life table analysis and multivariate Cox analysis. Results. A significantly shortened survival was found for patients with low serum TN values compared to patients with serum TN levels above one of the cutoff levels. The survivals are illustrated by life tables. No prognostic function was found for CA-125, TN and relapse less than or equal to 12 months after primary treatment were the only significant independent prognostic variables among the following variables tested in the Cox analyses: primary and second-line treatment, CA-125, age, histology, performance score, tumor localization, and size. Conclusion. Serum TN determination may be valuable in the selection of patients with relapse of OC for new treatment strategies in future studies. (C) 2000 academic Press.