Identification of early predictive imaging biomarkers and their relationship to serological angiogenic markers in patients with ovarian cancer with residual disease following cytotoxic therapy

Note: small study  
Background: Patients with recurrent ovarian cancer often achieve partial response following chemotherapy, resulting in persistent small volume disease. After completion of treatment, the dilemma of when to initiate subsequent chemotherapy arises. Identification of biomarkers that could be used to predict when subsequent treatment is needed would be of significant benefit. Design: ...A subgroup of patients provided plasma (blood) samples within which a panel of angiogenic biomarkers was quantified.  

Conclusions: Imaging markers have a potential role in early prediction of disease progression in patients with residual ovarian cancer and may supplement current measures of progression. The correlation of DCE-MRI and serological biomarkers suggests that tumour angiogenesis affects these markers through common biological means and warrants further investigation.