Serum pentraxin 3 as a possible marker for mature cystic teratomas

Abstract

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an inflammatory mediator that is released by a wide range of tissues and cells. Elevated PTX3 levels may represent a useful diagnostic and/or prognostic marker for a number of diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate serum PTX3 levels in benign gynecological conditions including mature cystic teratomas (MCTs), endometriomas, and uterine leiomyomas. Serum PTX3 levels of the MCT group were found to be significantly higher compared to those of the other groups, including healthy controls (p = 0.001), although carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) did not exhibit a significant difference. Serum PTX3 levels of the MCT, but not the endometrioma group, were also found to have significantly decreased post-operatively (mean ± standard deviation, 4.98 ± 2.10 to 3.61 ± 1.53 ng/mL). Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated positive staining for PTX3 protein in the sebaceous glands, epidermal tissues, and hair roots of MCT specimens. PTX3 is expressed by MCTs and is associated with increased serum concentrations compared to healthy controls and patients with either endometriomas or uterine leiomyomas. We conclude that serum PTX3 levels could be used as a potential diagnostic marker for MCTs, especially helpful in differentiating them from endometriomas with elevated expression of CA19-9.

Chinese abstract

血清穿透素-3 (Pentraxin 3, PTX3) 是由各种组织和细胞释放的一种炎性介质。血清穿透素-3的水平升高可能有益于许多疾病的诊断和/或作为许多疾病的预后指标。本研究的目的是检测良性妇科肿瘤患者的血清PTX3的水平, 包括：成熟囊性畸胎瘤 (MCTs) , 子宫腺肌瘤, 子宫平滑肌瘤。研究发现MCT组的血清PTX3水平显著高于其他组, 包括正常对照组 (P = 0.001) , 但是糖链抗原19-9 (CA19-9) 没有表现出显著差异。研究也发现MCT组的血清PTX3水平在术后显著降低了 (均值±标准差, 由4.98 ± 2.10ng/mL降至3.61 ± 1.53 ng/mL) , 并非子宫腺肌瘤组。免疫组化分析证实皮脂腺, 表皮组织和MCT组织的毛根PTX3蛋白染色阳性。PTX3在MCTs中表达, 与正常对照组, 子宫腺肌瘤患者和子宫平滑肌瘤患者相比的血清浓度增加有关。我们得出这样的结论：血清PTX3水平可以被作为MCTs的潜在诊断标志物, 尤其是有助于区分MCTs和CA19-9高表达的子宫腺肌瘤。

Keywords:

• CA19-9
• endometrioma
• mature cystic teratoma
• pentraxin 3
• tumor marker

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mr. Yoshinari Nagatomo and Bayasula for their technical support.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Supplementary material available online.

Supplementary Figure S1.