Ovarian carcinoma: the role of protein biomarkers in preoperative differential diagnosis

Abstract

It is a clinical challenge to identify which women with ovarian tumors are at risk of developing malignancy. The majority of ovarian tumors are benign and can cause problems due to their size, proximity to various organs, and pain or discomfort. The remainder are malignant, and their timely diagnosis is of great importance for improving patient survival. Today, the gold standard for differentiating benign from malignant ovarian tumors is histopathological biopsy. It is an invasive method and obtaining a result from it requires a long period of time. Preoperative examination of tumor markers, as well as ultrasound features during transvaginal ultrasonography, are often used to distinguish between benign and malignant ovarian tumors. In clinical practice, the serum marker CA125 is a valuable indicator, but is characterized by low specificity – elevated values are also observed in benign conditions such as endometriosis and inflammatory diseases. In recent years, additional biomarkers have been sought that, in combination with CA125, could increase diagnostic accuracy. Among them, the serum proteins transthyretin (prealbumin), transferrin, apolipoprotein A1, and β2-microglobulin deserve attention.