By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDApr 28 2024Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Epithelial ovarian cancer accounts for the most significant number of deaths from female reproductive system cancers.
Study: Diagnosing and staging epithelial ovarian cancer by serum glycoproteomic profiling. Image Credit: Shiflovski / Shutterstock.com Early EOC is frequently missed, with non-cancerous conditions that present with a pelvic mass often prioritized for surgery. Ultimately, only about 20% of all pelvic masses are malignant, whereas up to 33% of early EOCs are more advanced following histological examination.
EOC vs. non-cancerous masses A total of 27 differential biomarkers were identified, including several associated with ovarian cancer, such as alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 1, and immunoglobulin G . Fucose residues and EOC progression Fucosylation appears to be increased in EOC, with tri- and tetra-antennary fucosylated N-glycans exhibiting the greatest association with EOC in a linear manner from early to late stages. As the tumor advanced in stage, there was a progressive shift from non-fucosylated to fucosylated forms of these glycopeptides.
These biomarkers, which typically originate from the liver and circulating immune cells, have been observed in both late-stage EOC and the peripheral tissues of affected individuals. Thus, common factors that are triggered by a change in cytokine levels underlie the common glycosylation processes at these sites.