ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Among cancer diseases, after breast cancer, gynecologic cancer is the second most prevalent cause of mortality and morbidity in women. In the United States, ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer after endometrial cancer. Because of its nonspecic symptoms and absence of reliable biomarkers, its diagnosis frequently occurs at advanced disease stages. The presence of drug-resistant histological types limits the long-term cure rates and makes ovarian cancer the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. In ovarian cancers, early detection is rare, and when it is detected, it has pelvic spread. It is mostly sporadic but also has familial cancer syndromes. As a genetic approach to ovarian carcinogenesis, it is a complex, multistep polychromosomal process. Different cytogenetic events lead to cancer initiation, growth, and progression. Each histological subtype of ovarian cancer is characterized by distinct histogenetic events and chromosomal abnormalities. The promotion of protooncogenes or the silencing of tumor suppression genes might be the initial pathogenesis of ovarian carcinoma. This chapter focuses on the techniques that are being used or proposed for early prognosis and diagnosis of ovarian carcinomas. Some
CONTENTS
11.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................338 11.1.1 Why Is It Important? .............................................................................................338 11.1.2 Epidemiology .........................................................................................................338 11.1.3 Types of Ovarian Cancer ......................................................................................338 11.1.4 Diagnosis and Treatment ...................................................................................... 339 11.1.5 Prognosis ................................................................................................................. 341
11.2 Ovarian Endometrioid Carcinoma ................................................................................. 341 11.3 Different Noninvasive Molecular Biomarkers Currently Used
and under Development for OEC .................................................................................... 341 11.3.1 Genetic Biomarkers ................................................................................................ 341 11.3.2 mRNA Studies ........................................................................................................343 11.3.3 Microsatellite Instability/Loss of Heterozygosity Studies ..............................343 11.3.4 Proteomics Studies ................................................................................................344 11.3.5 Genomic Stability Studies ....................................................................................344 11.3.6 Phosphorylated Genes Studies ............................................................................344 11.3.7 Microarray Studies ................................................................................................345 11.3.8 Circulating Antigen as a Biomarker: CA-125 .....................................................345
