• Diagnostic biomarker for early detection of ovarian cancer
  • Leila Bagheri,1,*
    1. MSc in Genetics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Bonab Branch, East Azerbaijan, Iran


  • Introduction: Despite many years of effort and expense, cancer remains a notable cause of death worldwide. Among various cancers, ovarian cancer (OC) is a lethal gynecologic tumor, with high mortality and poor prognosis. Because of inadequate early diagnostic methods and few early symptoms, OC remains undetected until the disease reaches advanced stages. Patients with advanced OC have less than 25% 5-year survival rate. One of the important methods in the early detection of cancers is to check the serum levels of biomarkers. Establishing biomarkers for early ovarian cancer diagnosis is imperative for high survival rates. This study aims to review diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer.
  • Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in Google Scholar, Scopus, and other databases to discover published articles related to diagnostic biomarkers of ovarian cancer.
  • Results: Various molecular biomarkers have been developed for diagnostic use in ovarian cancer. Carbohydrate antigen-125 (CA-125) and Human Epididymis Secretory Protein 4 (HE4) have been introduced to ovarian cancer biomarkers. TTR performed better than CA125 and HE4 in detecting early-stage ovarian. Folate receptor-α (FOLR1) is over-expressed in several malignant cancers, especially in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Overexpressed UCHL3 was shown in OC. This function is in cell proliferation and metastasis. Up-regulation of miR-205, miR-93, miR-106b, and miR-451 were found to be strongly associated with ovarian cancer.
  • Conclusion: Overall, this review highlights the significant clinical biomarkers in ovarian cancer. Many biological molecules are diagnostic biomarkers for the early detection of ovarian cancer.
  • Keywords: ovarian cancer, clinical biomarkers, cancer, early detection, prognosis