Elevated serum interleukin-32 levels in patients with endometriosis: A cross-sectional study

Young Sik Choi, Sinae Kim, Young Sang Oh, SiHyun Cho, Sung Hoon Kim
American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2019 · doi:10.1111/aji.13149 · PMID:31099938
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Serum levels of interleukin-32 were significantly elevated in endometriosis patients compared to controls, and combining IL-32 with CA-125 improved diagnostic potential for endometriosis.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 · read from full text ⓘ

This cross-sectional study measured serum interleukin (IL)-32 and several other cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IL-1β) and CA-125 in 50 patients with histologically confirmed endometriosis and 35 control participants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum IL-32 was the only evaluated cytokine that differed significantly between groups, with higher levels in endometriosis patients (1111.24 ± 149.59 vs 631.10 ± 120.23 ng/mL; P = 0.018). The diagnostic performance for IL-32 alone was limited (AUC 0.638, 95% CI 0.521–0.766), but combining IL-32 with CA-125 increased the AUC to 0.749, improving case detection while maintaining specificity relative to CA-125 alone. This study relates directly to endometriosis, as it tests whether elevated serum IL-32 could serve as a biomarker for diagnosing endometriosis.

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Abstract

PROBLEM: Recently, interleukin (IL)-32 has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum IL-32 level might be used as a biomarker for diagnosis of endometriosis. METHOD OF STUDY: We recruited the serum samples of 50 patients with histologically confirmed endometriosis and 35 controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze the serum IL-32, IL-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1β, and CA-125 levels in patients with and without the disease and the diagnostic potentials of the cytokines were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Among evaluated cytokines, only serum IL-32 levels showed significant differences between patients with and without endometriosis (1111.24 ± 149.59 vs 631.10 ± 120.23 ng/mL, P = 0.018, respectively). When the diagnostic power of serum IL-32 was evaluated, the AUC was 0.638 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.521-0.766, P = 0.031). When serum IL-32 levels were combined with serum CA-125 levels, the AUC was increased to 0.749 (95% CI: 0.640-0.858, P < 0.001) with sensitivity and specificity of 60.0% and 82.9% at cutoff value of 0.640, which led to detect 25 more cases of endometriosis than the use of serum CA 125 with the cutoff value of 35 IU/mL (36/50 vs 11/50, P < 0.001) without sacrificing the specificity of the marker. CONCLUSION: Serum IL-32 levels are elevated in patients with endometriosis, and with combination of serum CA-125 levels, it may serve as a potential biomarker for endometriosis.
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Method

OF STUDY: We recruited the serum samples of 50 patients with histologically confirmed endometriosis and 35 controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze the serum IL-32, IL-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1β, and CA-125 levels in patients with and without the disease and the diagnostic potentials of the cytokines were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC).

Results

Among evaluated cytokines, only serum IL-32 levels showed significant differences between patients with and without endometriosis (1111.24 ± 149.59 vs 631.10 ± 120.23 ng/mL, P = 0.018, respectively). When the diagnostic power of serum IL-32 was evaluated, the AUC was 0.638 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.521-0.766, P = 0.031). When serum IL-32 levels were combined with serum CA-125 levels, the AUC was increased to 0.749 (95% CI: 0.640-0.858, P < 0.001) with sensitivity and specificity of 60.0% and 82.9% at cutoff value of 0.640, which led to detect 25 more cases of endometriosis than the use of serum CA 125 with the cutoff value of 35 IU/mL (36/50 vs 11/50, P < 0.001) without sacrificing the specificity of the marker.

Conclusion

Serum IL-32 levels are elevated in patients with endometriosis, and with combination of serum CA-125 levels, it may serve as a potential biomarker for endometriosis. - Appears in Collections: - 1. College of Medicine (의과대학) > Yonsei Biomedical Research Center (연세의생명연구원) > 1. Journal Papers 1. College of Medicine (의과대학) > Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology (산부인과학교실) > 1. Journal Papers Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Interleukins Adult Area Under Curve Biomarkers Biomarkers CA-125 Antigen CA-125 Antigen CA-125 Antigen Cross-Sectional Studies Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Interleukin-10 Interleukin-10 Interleukin-10 Interleukin-1beta Interleukin-1beta

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