The Impact of Liquid Biopsy in Advanced Ovarian Cancer Care

Abstract

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is the third most common gynaecological cancer and has a very high mortality rate. The cornerstone of treatment is complete debulking surgery plus chemotherapy. Even with treatment, 80% of patients have a recurrence. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has been shown to be useful in the control and follow-up of some tumours. It could be an option to define complete cytoreduction and for the early diagnosis of recurrence. Objective: We aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of ctDNA and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a marker of complete cytoreduction and during follow-up in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Material and Methods: We selected 22 women diagnosed with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer, of which only 4 had complete records. We detected cfDNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), presented as ng/mL, and detected ctDNA with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). We calculated Pearson correlation coefficients to evaluate correlations among cfDNA, ctDNA, and cancer antigen 125 (CA125), a biomarker. Results: The results obtained in the evaluation of cfDNA and ctDNA and their correlation with tumour markers and the radiology of patients with complete follow-up show disease progression during the disease, stable disease, or signs of recurrence. cfDNA and ctDNA correlated significantly with CA125. Following cfDNA and ctDNA over time indicated a recurrence several months earlier than computed tomography and CA125 changes. Conclusion: An analysis of cfDNA and ctDNA offers a non-invasive clinical tool for monitoring the primary tumour to establish a complete cytoreduction and to diagnose recurrence early.

Keywords

• advanced ovarian cancer
• liquid biopsy
• translational research
• cancer care