Dr. Bast on Earlier Detection of Ovarian Cancer

Robert C. Bast, Jr., MD, vice president, Translational Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a study that could help in early detection of ovarian cancer before CA-125 rises in patients.

Monitoring CA-125 levels is a method of detecting ovarian cancer. CA-125 antibodies target p53, which is often mutated and overexpressed in ovarian cancer. It is identified in approximately half of patients with ovarian cancer, and in almost all patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer, Bast explains.

Twenty-five percent of patients diagnosed with early- or late-stage cancers will have anti-TP53 autoantibodies, Bast explains. In his study, split samples from the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening were used to determine if the presence of these autoantibodies would improve the ability of CA-125 to detect disease at an earlier stage.

Data showed that 25% of patients in the United Kingdom trial had elevated levels of autoantibodies, regardless if they are CA-125 positive or negative. Through this method, disease could potentially be detected 13 months before the elevation of CA-125, and 33 months before the detection of cancer in patients without a rising CA-125.

Bast says researchers are currently examining other antibodies. He questions if they will be as effective as the anti-p53 autoantibody.

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