c-kit receptors in ovarian tumors and the response of ovarian carcinoma cell lines to recombinant human stem cell factor

The dose intensity of chemotherapy is an important factor in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, and a role for hemopoietic growth factors in accelerating bone marrow recovery after intensive chemotherapy has been established. A clinical trial has been proposed introducing recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF) to improve peripheral blood progenitor cell mobilization following chemotherapy for ovarian malignancy. In view of this a study to examine the expression of c-kit, the receptor for SCF, in ovarian tumors, and also the effect of rhSCF on the growth of ovarian tumor cell lines has been carried out. Of the 46 ovarian tumors examined immunohistochemically only one, a malignant teratoma, demonstrated positive c-kit expression. None of the short term or established ovarian carcinoma cell lines treated with rhSCF showed significant growth acceleration of adenocarcinoma cells. Similarly, none possessed c-kit receptors detected immunohistochemically.