Abstract
IntroductionEpithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy worldwide. Reliable predictive biomarkers are urgently needed to estimate the risk of relapse and to improve treatment management. Soluble immune-checkpoints in EOC are promising molecules serving as prognostic biomarkers accessible via liquid biopsy. We thus, aimed at elucidating the role of sB7-H4 in EOC.Material and MethodsWe analyzed soluble serum B7-H4 (sB7-H4) using ELISA and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood applying the AdnaTest OvarianCancer in 85 patients suffering from advanced EOC. Findings were correlated with clinical parameters as well as survival data.ResultssB7-H4 was detectable in 14.1% patients, CTCs in 32.9% patients and simultaneous presence of CTCs and sB7-H4 was found in 7% patients, respectively. Although no association between sB7-H4 and CTC could be documented, each of them served as independent predictive factors for overall survival (OS).ConclusionsB7-H4 and CTCs are independent prognostic biomarkers for impaired survival in EOC. As they are easily accessible via liquid biopsy, they may be of potential benefit for the prediction of therapy response and survival for EOC patients.
Highlights
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy worldwide
This study aimed to investigate the serum levels of sB7-H4 and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with advanced EOC and to analyze its relationship to prognosis and clinicopathological features
Our study found that detection of sB7-H4 and CTCs in blood was associated with a worse prognosis of patients with advanced EOC
Summary
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy worldwide. Reliable predictive biomarkers are urgently needed to estimate the risk of relapse and to improve treatment management. In Germany, EOC is responsible for 3.2% of all malignant neoplasms and 5.3% of all cancer deaths [2]. Reliable predictive biomarkers are urgently needed to estimate the risk of relapse and improve treatment management. In this regard, it has already been demonstrated that the characterization of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow (BM) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood has identified stem cell like DTCs and CTCs, tumor cells in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as resistant cells, all associated with a worse outcome and clinical platinum resistance [4,5,6,7]. We were able to show that immunotherapy based on the intraperitoneal trifunctional bispecific antibody
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