abstract: Common alleles in candidate susceptibility genes associated with risk and development of epithelial ovarian cancer - Intl Jnl Cancer

Abstract

Common germline genetic variation in the population is associated with susceptibility to epithelial ovarian cancer.........We genotyped rs13063604 and rs7650365 in an additional 4,590 cases and 6,031 controls from ten sites from the United States, Europe and Australia; however, neither SNP was significant in Stage 2. We also evaluated the potential role of tSNPs in these nine genes in ovarian cancer development by testing for allele-specific loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in 286 primary ovarian tumours. We found frequent LOH for tSNPs in AXIN2, AKTIP and RGC32 (64, 46 and 34%, respectively) and one SNP, rs1637001, in STAG3 showed significant allele-specific LOH with loss of the common allele in 94% of informative tumours (p = 0.015). Array comparative genomic hybridisation indicated that this nonrandom allelic imbalance was due to amplification of the rare allele. In conclusion, we show evidence for the involvement of a common allele of STAG3 in the development of epithelial ovarian cancer.

SGO: Change in Antigen Predicts Ovarian Cancer Outcomes - in Meeting Coverage early stage ovarian cancer

"The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) 157 trial provided an opportunity to examine the change in CA-125 and its relationship to outcomes in women with early-stage ovarian cancer. The trial involved 427 women with stage I-II epithelial ovarian cancer. They were randomized to receive three or six cycles of chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel.
All patients had detailed surgical staging before randomization. Chan said detailed information about CA-125 levels was available for 350 participants in the trial."

"There is a lack of data in early-stage ovarian cancer on the pattern of CA-125," said Chan. "Previous studies generally had no comprehensive staging and no central pathology review."
"An elevated level that declined to normal after the first cycle of chemotherapy was associated with recurrence-free and overall survival of 87% and 88%, respectively.
Patients with an elevated CA-125 before and after the first cycle of chemotherapy had recurrence-free survival of 68% and overall survival of 77%."