The potential clinical significance of immunomodulation of immune and inflammatory responses involving selected adipokines in patients with ovarian cancer – preliminary studies

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a major clinical problem in gynaecological oncology, characterised by difficulties in early diagnosis, which contributes to the high mortality rate from OC. Therefore, the search for new biological markers continues, which could complement the diagnostic process in the future and potentially improve patient prognosis. Recently, the role of adipokines and accompanying inflammation in carcinogenesis mechanisms, including within the ovary, has become a subject of scientific interest. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of irisin, chemerin, lipocalin-2 and omentin-1 in the serum and peritoneal fluid of patients with ovarian cancer, as well as in the serum of patients with benign ovarian lesions. The analysis showed differences in the concentrations of these molecules between the study groups. Certain correlations were also observed between the levels of selected adipokines and the degree of histological differentiation of the tumour. The observed immune disorders associated with adipokine profiles suggest that they may be involved in the immunopathogenesis of ovarian cancer, acting as one of the factors modulating the inflammatory environment of the tumour. From a clinical point of view, the potential application of measuring the concentrations of these adipokines - for example, in combination with known markers such as CRP or CA125 - increases diagnostic effectiveness compared to single measurement of these parameters, but requires further verification. At this stage, they can only serve as a starting point for discussion on new diagnostic methods.