Table 2.
Preclinical study report of eight candidate biomarkers
| Biomarker | Function | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| CA125 | CA125 is a high molecular weight glycoprotein with increased expression in approximately 90% of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and is well known as one of the most important biomarkers used to monitor epithelial ovarian cancer. As a screening indicator, CA125 has been applied to screen out patients with ovarian cancer in the population and to differentiate ovarian cancer from benign diseases. | [19] |
| HE4 | HE4 might play a protective role in the progression of epithelial ovarian cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation and is expressed in malignant ovarian tissues at a significantly higher rate than that of benign tumors and normal ovarian tissue and is regarded as a serum tumor marker which has high sensitivity and specificity in screening tests. HE4 can be used in the detection and staging of treatment for ovarian cancer. | [20,21] |
| CA15.3 | CA15.3 is an aspecific tumor marker characteristic of cancer proliferation and the elevated levels of CA15.3 have been associated with ovarian malignancy, measurement of this biomarker has been proposed to be of some clinical value in combination with CA125 for diagnosis and monitoring of ovarian cancer. | [22,23] |
| ApoA2 | ApoA2 is the second most abundant apolipoprotein of high-density lipoproteins, which modulate cholesterol transport and metabolism and concentrations of ApoA2 is higher in malignant compared with either borderline or benign ovarian cyst fluids. | [24] |
| TTR | TTR is a normal serum protein synthesized primarily in the liver, the choroid plexus and the retina and is found to be downregulated in ovarian cancer. Lower level of serum TTR level has been observed in ovarian cancer. TTR has been used with other biomarkers to diagnose ovarian cancer. | [25] |
| ApoA1 | ApoA1 played an important role in the inhibition of tumor progression through different pathways and is decreased in the serum of ovarian cancer patients, has been evaluated as a screening and diagnostic biomarker of epithelial ovarian cancer. | [24] |
| CYFRA21.1 | The serum CYFRA21.1 level was significantly correlated with many prognostic factors, including recurrence and survival and acts as a good complementary diagnostic biomarker and may be superior to CA125 as a prognostic indicator in epithelial ovarian cancer. | [26] |
| CEA | CEA is one of the longest known tumor antigens and elevated serum levels is demonstrated in patients with ovarian adenocarcinomas, up to 87–88% in mucinous histotypes. The CEA in combination with CA125 can differentiate between malignant ovarian disease and malignant non-ovarian disease. | [27] |
Ref., reference; CA125, carbohydrate antigen 125; HE4, human epididymis protein 4; CA15.3, cancer antigen 15-3; ApoA2, apolipoprotein A2; TTR, transthyretin; ApoA1, apolipoprotein A1; CYFRA21.1, cytokeratin fragment 21-1; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen.