Inhibin B in diagnosis and monitoring of granulosa-cell tumors of ovary

Introduction. Granulosa cell tumors of ovary (GCTO) rare type of malignant ovarian neoplasms formed from granulosa cells of the follicles capable to produce biologically active substances, including inhibin B. The purpose of this study is evaluation of clinical significance of inhibin B analysis in blood serum of patients with adult type of GCTO primary disease, relapse and during remission after treatment. Materials and methods. The study included 134 patients with GCTO, 15 patients with benign ovarian tumors and 82 healthy women. Inhibin B was determined in blood serum with standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Inhibin B Gen II ELISA (Beckman Coulter, USA) in the microplate format. Results. The analysis data indicates a high sensitivity of inhibin B in the diagnosis of primary GCTO (92.3%) and in relapse (92.7%) with a specificity 100%. An increase of inhibin B before the clinical manifestation of relapse (for 212 months) confirms its significance as an effective biochemical marker for GCTO monitoring. Conclusion. Inhibin B can be used as effective biochemical marker of primary and GCTO and its relapses.