Elevation of Serum Steroid Sulfatase Level in Gynecologic cancers

Abstract

Steroid sulfatase (STS) desulfates sulfated 3 B-hydroxysteroid family, such as, estrone sulfate, androstenediol sulfate, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and cholesterol sulfate. This enzyme possesses an important role in the converting the inactive steroid hormone to the active form. We have established an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of STS to measure the amount of the enzyme protein in sera. ELISA was performed by “Sandwich" method using a peroxidase conjugated anti STS IgG Fab' fragment. A range of STS was 10 to 1,500 ng per ml serum in this method. When gynecologic carcinomas were assayed by this ELISA, the serum STS level was significantly (P<0.01) elevated in endometrial carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma patients, as compared to that of normal women. Measurement of serum STS protein may be useful for clinical applications as a tumor marker. (Thai J Obstet Gynaecol 1995;7:33-40.)