Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in women with or without gynecologic cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To detect the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) which is an oxygen-radical-forming agent, in the urine of patients with (n = 18) or without (n = 10) carcinoma of the female genitalia. None of the patients had been receiving any treatment before their urinary 8-OHdG levels were measured. METHODS: Urinary 8-OHdG was extracted by a solid-phase technique, and its level was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an electric chemical detector (ECD). RESULTS: We determined that the urinary 8-OHdG level decreased with as the age of the patient increased, and was extremely high in advanced cancer and recurrent cancer in a considerable number of patients. The urinary 8-OHdG level (1,827 +/- 1,500 pmol/kg/day, mean +/- SEM) in 18 patients with carcinoma was significantly higher (p < or = 0.05) than that (747 +/- 425 pmol/kg/day) in 10 patients without carcinoma. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that it might be possible to determine the spread of cancer to some extent by determining a patient's urinary 8-OHdG level.

Measurement of urinary beta core fragment of human chorionic gonadotrophin in women with vulvovaginal malignancy and its prognostic significance.

Tumours of the vulva and vagina are rare and there are relatively few studies of circulating markers in these conditions. The urinary measurement of the core fragment of the beta-subunit of hCG has been proposed as a useful tumour marker in non-trophoblastic gynaecological malignancies. This study describe the measurement of urinary beta-core in 50 patients with vulvovaginal malignancy. In contrast to other studies corrections were made for both the effect of urine concentration and the age of the patient. Each patient was followed up for at least 24 months, and at this time their status was correlated with their initial level of urinary beta-core. The sensitivity of beta-core was only 38%, but of those patients with elevated levels 90% had died within 24 months, while only 32% of those with normal levels had died. For both patients at initial presentation and those with recurrent disease, there was a highly significant difference in the survival curve between those with elevated beta-core levels and those with normal levels. This is similar to findings in cervical carcinoma, and suggests that for lower genital tract cancer the measurement of urinary beta-core may be valuable as a prognostic indicator, allowing a more informed approach to treatment and follow-up.