The role of endothelin-1 and its correlation with CA125 levels, grayscale ultrasonography and doppler findings in differential diagnoses of ovarian tumors.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION Assessment of endothelin-1 (ET-1) level for the differential diagnosis of ovarian tumors was performed. METHODS Fifty-three women with ovarian tumors (12 malignant, 41 benign) treated at the Division of Gynecological Surgery, Poznan, Poland were analyzed. ET-1 serum levels were compared with CA125 and Doppler parameters (RI, PI, PSV). The differences were evaluated using the unpaired t-test with Welch's correction (p < 0.05). RESULTS There was statistically significant difference in ET-1 levels between the ovarian cancer and benign tumor groups (3.130 pg/ml and 1.819 pg/ml, respectively). The ROC area for ET-1 and CA125 were 0.727 and 0.791, respectively. A negative linear correlation between the level of ET-1 and RI and a positive linear correlation between the level of ET-1 and PSV in the ovarian cancer group were found. CONCLUSION ET-1 as a new biomarker for predicting ovarian cancer is not satisfying. A correlation between ET-1 levels and Doppler parameters is very interesting and its role in angiogenesis should be studied extensively.