paywalled: Increased expression of OCIA domain containing 2 during stepwise progression of ovarian mucinous tumor - Pathology Intl

Increased expression of OCIA domain containing 2 during stepwise progression of ovarian mucinous tumor

Ovarian cancer immunoreactive antigen domain containing 2 (OCIAD2) has been reported to show cancer-specific expression in early invasive lung adenocarcinoma. OCIAD2 shows high homology with OCIAD1, which was originally immunoscreened from ascites of a patient with ovarian cancer and found to be a tumor-specific protein. Therefore, like OCIAD1, OCIAD2 is expected to show high immunoreactivity in ovarian tumors.

In this study, we examined the expression pattern of OCIAD2 in 117 ovarian mucinous tumors, and confirmed that it was more highly expressed in borderline tumor and carcinoma (51/74 cases, 69%) than in adenoma (6/43 cases, 14%). The immunoreactivity of OCIAD2 in borderline tumor and carcinoma was more specific than that of OCIAD1 (adenoma, 21/43 cases, 49%), and more sensitive than that of CEA (borderline tumor and carcinoma, 35/74 cases, 47%). Like OCIAD1, OCIAD2 is a cancer-related protein and its expression level increases during the course of malignant progression and is thought to be a very useful marker for evaluating the malignancy of ovarian mucinous tumors.

Jan 15th: New Symptom Indices Offer No Gain in Ovarian Ca - in Oncology/Hematology, Ovarian Cancer from MedPage Today

Action Points  

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• Explain that two new ovarian cancer symptom indices offered little advantage over the current Goff Index.



• Point out that for all three indices, sensitivity was lower for data obtained from the general practitioner's notes and highest for those interviewed over the telephone, ant that the specificity was largely unchanged

"The small differences between the three indices indicate that there is little to gain from deriving new symptom indices," the authors concluded.


"This sobering news follows hard on the heels of a large U.S. randomized trial finding no benefit, and indeed some harm, to women who were screened annually with a transvaginal ultrasound exam and a CA-125 blood test compared with a usual care control group," they wrote, referring to the NIH-sponsored Prostate, Lung, Colon, and Ovary (PLCO) screening program (JAMA 2011; 305:2295-2303).

They said one question the ovarian cancer community needs to answer is where it should focus its efforts: On the time between when a tumor is large enough to cause mild symptoms and when it is large enough to cause symptoms that prompt women to call a physician, or on a better understanding of disease etiology, leading to better prevention and therapy.

"These other research directions remain critical as the search continues for better ways to find ovarian cancer early," they said.

Primary source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute Source reference: Lim AWW, et al. "Predictive value of symptoms for ovarian cancer: Comparison of symptoms reported by questionnaire, interview, and general practitioner notes" J Natl Cancer Inst 2012; 104: 1-11. Additional source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute Source reference: Hartge P, Speyer JL. "Finding Ovarian Cancer" J Natl Cancer Inst 2012; DOI: 10.1093/jnci/drj518.

Related Article(s): ESGO: Ultrasound Allows Early Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis ESGO: Anti-CA125 Fails to Slow Ovarian Cancer SGO: Change in Antigen Predicts Ovarian Cancer Outcomes

Free Full-Text - IJMS ( Intl Jnl of Molecular Sciences) Exploring the Immunoproteome for Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Discovery

Published: 14 January 2011

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Molecules in Ovarian Cancer)

Download PDF Full-Text [1380 KB, uploaded 14 January 2011 15:39 CET]

Abstract:  

Most scientific efforts towards early detection of ovarian cancer are commonly focused on the discovery of tumour-associated antigens (TAA). Autologous antibodies against TAA, however, may serve as more sensitive diagnostic markers. They circulate in the blood before TAA and are usually more abundant than the TAAs themselves as a result of amplification through the humoral immune response. Accumulating evidence also suggests that a humoral response already exists during malignant transformation when aberrant gene expression is translated into premalignant cellular changes. This article reviews the current knowledge about autoantibodies against TAA in ovarian cancer and presents current immunoproteomic approaches for their detection.

MabCure, Inc. Files Provisional Patent in the U.S. for Ovarian Cancer Antibodies - press release/financial news

"In a blinded study of 54 blood samples, MabCure's MAbs correctly diagnosed 16 of the 17 ovarian cancers with a diagnostic sensitivity of 94 percent and 100 percent specificity. The samples were comprised of 17 patients with ovarian cancer, 5 patients with benign tumors of the ovaries, 24 healthy young females and 8 males.

"Beyond the value of our test to diagnose ovarian cancer in a highly accurate manner and with no false positives, the potential value of our proprietary MAbs is also in helping to identify tumor-specific antigens or cancer-specific targets for the ultimate treatment of ovarian cancer," said Gonenne."

Cochrane Collaboration review: Antigen-specific active immunotherapy for ovarian cancer

"AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that despite promising immunological responses no clinically effective antigen-specific active immunotherapy is yet available for ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the adoption of guidelines to ensure uniformity in trial conduct, response definitions and trial reporting is recommended to improve quality and comparability of immunotherapy trials."