Usefulness of beta hCG as tumor marker in the diagnosis and follow up of patients with ovarian cancer.

Abstract To test the possibility of using beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) as a tumor marker in ovarian cancer by determining its diagnostic and prognostic value, and see for any relationship between disease stage, histological tumor types and serum and ascitic fluid β-hCG levels, as well as to identify false positive and false negative results. This was a prospective study in 60 surgically treated patients with ovarian cancer in the period 2006- 2010. The diagnosis was confirmed postoperatively based on the histopathological findings and the continuous determination of β-hCG serum levels, during the 2 postoperative years at regular quarterly intervals. The obtained results were statistically processed using multivariate analysis. β-hCG showed no reliable diagnostic value in ovarian cancer. A statistically significant difference between serum β-hCG levels and different FIGO stages was noted, but not between β-hCG levels and different histological groups of tumors. There were 10.2% of false positive and 18.9% of false negative results in all measurements. The use of β-hCG as a tumor marker for ovarian cancer is justified only in patients with preoperatively high levels in advanced FIGO stages (III and IV), regardless of histological type of tumor.