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Identification of a four-gene methylation biomarker panel in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma

  • Ivana Baranova EMAIL logo , Helena Kovarikova , Jan Laco , Iva Sedlakova , Filip Vrbacky , Dalibor Kovarik , Petr Hejna , Vladimir Palicka and Marcela Chmelarova
Published/Copyright: March 7, 2020

Abstract

Background

The lack of effective biomarkers for the screening and early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most pressing problems in oncogynecology. Because epigenetic alterations occur early in the cancer development, they provide great potential to serve as such biomarkers. In our study, we investigated a potential of a four-gene methylation panel (including CDH13, HNF1B, PCDH17 and GATA4 genes) for the early detection of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC).

Methods

For methylation detection we used methylation sensitive high-resolution melting analysis and real-time methylation specific analysis. We also investigated the relation between gene hypermethylation and gene relative expression using the 2−ΔΔCt method.

Results

The sensitivity of the examined panel reached 88.5%. We were able to detect methylation in 85.7% (12/14) of early stage tumors and in 89.4% (42/47) of late stage tumors. The total efficiency of the panel was 94.4% and negative predictive value reached 90.0%. The specificity and positive predictive value achieved 100% rates. Our results showed lower gene expression in the tumor samples in comparison to control samples. The more pronounced downregulation was measured in the group of samples with detected methylation.

Conclusions

In our study we designed the four-gene panel for HGSOC detection in ovarian tissue with 100% specificity and sensitivity of 88.5%. The next challenge is translation of the findings to the less invasive source for biomarker examination, such as plasma. Our results indicate that combination of examined genes deserve consideration for further testing in clinical molecular diagnosis of HGSOC.


Corresponding author: Ivana Baranova, Institute of Clinical Biochemistry and Diagnostics, Charles University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, Hradec Kralove 500 05, Czech Republic, Phone: +420495833864

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: This study was supported by Ministry of Health, Czech Republic – conceptual development of research organization (UHHK, 00179906), by the programme PROGRES Q40/11 and SVV 260398, and by European Regional Development Fund-Project BBMRI-CZ: Biobank network – a versatile platform for the research of the etiopathogenesis of diseases, No: EF16 013/0001674.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organizations played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2019-12-23
Accepted: 2020-02-04
Published Online: 2020-03-07
Published in Print: 2020-07-28

©2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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