Early detection biomarkers for ovarian cancer

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of conventional and contemporary methods to detect ovarian cancer development, ovarian cancer remains a common and commonly fatal gynecological malignancy. The identification and validation of early detection biomarkers highly specific to ovarian cancer, which would permit development of minimally invasive screening methods for detecting early onset of the disease, are urgently needed. Current practices for early detection of ovarian cancer include transvaginal ultrasonography, biomarker analysis, or a combination of both. In this paper we review recent research on novel and robust biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer and provide specific details on their contributions to tumorigenesis. Promising biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer include KLK6/7, GSTT1, PRSS8, FOLR1, ALDH1, and miRNAs.

Figure 1

EGF/EGFR-based signaling pathways of ovarian cancer biomarkers. (a) Non-EGF/EGFR-based signaling pathways. (b) ↑ indicates upregulation. ↓ indicates downregulation. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1); phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K); c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK); extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK); homeodomain-interacting protein kinase-2 (HIPK2); matrix metalloproteinase-2 or 7 (MMP-2 or MMP-7); multidrug-resistant protein (MDR1, P-glycoprotein); multidrug resistance-associated proteins 1 and 2 (MRP1/2); mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP-K); phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN).