Abstract

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were examined in 24 patients with germ cell tumors of the ovary to evaluate the usefulness of the enzyme as a tumor maker. Lactate dehydrogenase levels were found to be significantly elevated (P<0.001) in these patients at the time of diagnosis as compared to the controls. Lactate dehydrogenase levels in patients with benign ovarian tumors and controls were comparable. The positive rate of LDH for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary was 94.5%. The LDH values significantly declined in the patients who responded to treatment. Metastatic or recurrent disease resulted in increased LDH levels. The results indicate that LDH is a useful tumor marker for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary.