Detection of Minimal Levels of Serum Anti-Mullerian Hormone during Follow-Up of Patients with Ovarian Granulosa Cell Tumor by Means of a Highly Sensitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Abstract

Granulosa cell tumors (GCT) are ovarian neoplasms that tend to recur and spread in the pelvis and the abdomen several years after the initial treatment. Anti-Mülerian hormone (AMH) is a reliable serum marker of these tumors. To enhance the availability and the sensitivity of serum AMH determination, we developed an ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In this work we compare the results of serum AMH levels, obtained using the ultrasensitive and the traditional assays, in 31 patients with ovarian GCT followed up for up to 7 yr. The ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has a significantly higher sensitivity than the traditional one. This resulted in the detection of low serum AMH levels, which were undetectable with the traditional assay, in several cases including one patient in whom a recurrence of a GCT had developed and two patients in whom the treatment had not been completely successful. These cases highlight the importance of the availability of a highly sensitive assay allowing evaluation with high precision of the results of treatment and to detect the recurrences of GCT at an early, preclinical stage.