Circulating Markers of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in Patients With Ovarian Tumors

Abstract

Background/aim: Inflammation is a hallmark of cancer, and the role of neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in cancer and cancer-associated thrombosis has attracted a lot of interest. The NET-specific marker H3Cit has been found to be elevated in the plasma of patients with malignancies, suggesting NETs markers as novel cancer biomarkers. This study aimed to determine the levels of NETs markers (H3Cit and dsDNA) in the plasma of women with adnexal masses.

Patients and methods: Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 199 patients admitted for primary surgery of adnexal masses. Patients were grouped according to tumor type and stage. Plasma levels of H3Cit-DNA, dsDNA, and CA125 were quantified.

Results: Plasma levels of H3Cit-DNA and dsDNA were not elevated in women with borderline or malignant ovarian tumors compared with those of the benign group. Increased levels of CA125 were found in the borderline and ovarian cancer group (p_trend<0.001). In Cox regression analysis, CA125 levels dichotomized at 326 IU/ml (median) were associated with worse overall survival (HR=1.9; 95%CI=1.03-3.36; p=0.038). No differences were found in the survival analyses of malignant ovarian tumors by analyzing the dsDNA and H3Cit-DNA levels.

Conclusion: There is no association between NETs markers and ovarian tumors.

Keywords: H3Cit-DNA; NETs; Ovarian cancer; dsDNA; tumor marker.