Biomarkers in Ovarian Cancer

Why Biomarkers Matter:

Early Detection

•  Find ovarian cancer before symptoms appear

Prognosis

• Predict how aggressive the cancer might be

Treatment Selection

• Choose therapies that match the patient's tumor profile

Monitoring

• Check if the cancer is responding to treatment or coming back

Common Biomarkers in Ovarian Cancer

🔬CA-125 (Cancer Antigen 125) - This is the most widely used blood biomarker for ovarian cancer.
– Elevated levels can suggest ovarian cancer, but CA-125 can also rise in non-cancer conditions (like endometriosis or menstruation).
– It’s often used to monitor treatment response or detect recurrence, rather than for early diagnosis.

✅ HE4 (Human Epididymis Protein 4)
– Another blood biomarker that can help distinguish ovarian cancer from benign gynecologic diseases.
– Sometimes combined with CA-125 in the ROMA (Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm) score to estimate cancer risk in women with pelvic masses.

✅ BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations
– These inherited mutations greatly increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
– Women with BRCA mutations may be candidates for preventive measures or targeted therapies (like PARP inhibitors).

✅ HRD (Homologous Recombination Deficiency)
– This refers to defects in DNA repair pathways, often seen in tumors with BRCA mutations or other related gene changes.
– HRD status can predict whether a patient might benefit from certain drugs like PARP inhibitors.

✅ p53 mutations
– Found in many high-grade serous ovarian cancers, the most common and aggressive subtype.

✅ Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)
– Fragments of tumor DNA found in the blood, still under research but potentially useful for monitoring disease or detecting minimal residual disease.