ABSTRACT
As ovarian cancers are prevalent and have a high mortality rate, early diagnosis is important. Markers that detect ovarian malignancies earlier, include the levels of serum and ovarian cyst fluid gonadotropins. This study was performed in Imam Hossein hospital between 2008 and 2010 to determine the diagnostic value of the ratio of serum to ovarian cyst fluid gonadotropins in defining the type of ovarian tumors. This cross-sectional study was performed on patients operated because of ovarian mass. Their serum samples and cyst fluid were collected at the time of laparatomy and the histopathologic diagnosis was established after removal of the tumor. FSH and LH concentration were measured in serum and tumor fluid by Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay technology in Imam Hossein laboratory and the ratios of serum FSH and LH to the cyst fluid gonadotropins were determined in four pathologic groups [simple cyst, benign, borderline and malignant]; statistical comparison was done with the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-test. We studied 100 patients with ovarian masses; in 79 patients pathology was reported as epithelial tumors and simple cysts. The most common mass were simple cysts [48.1%], followed by benign tumors [27.8%], malignant tumors [16.5%] and borderline tumors [7.6%]. Serum FSH/ tumor fluid ratios were, 21.1 +/- 53.8 in simple cysts, 50.7 +/- 174.9 in benign tumors, 1.5 +/- 0.7 in borderline tumors and 1.9 +/- 1.9 in malignant tumors [P<0.001]. Serum LH/tumor fluid ratios were 12.1 +/- 26.5 in simple cysts, 20.0 +/- 29.1 in benign tumors, 2.6 +/- 2.3 in borderline tumors and 2.8 +/- 3.7 in malignant tumors [P<0.002]. Our findings suggest that serum/tumor fluid gonadotropins ratio can be used as a tumor marker for identification of ovarian tumors