Haptoglobin and proteinase inhibitors in the blood serum of women with inflammatory, benign and neoplastic lesions of the ovary.

Blood sera of women with myomas of the uterus, benign or malignant neoplasms of the ovary and with inflammatory conditions were examined by determining the haptoglobin concentration and functional activities of: alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitor. In the women with ovarian cancer, as compared with the control group, a significant increase of haptoglobin, alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitor was found (p less than 0.001). On the contrary bioactivity of alpha 2-macroglobulin was depressed (p = 0.01). The observed increase of alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitor activity in the groups with ovarian tumors and ovarian cysts was not related to the inflammatory state as estimated by the haptoglobin concentration.