Research identifies marker for aggressive ovarian cancer

Scientists have identified a marker which they believe can inform whether a tumour will become more aggressive and pose a risk of early death in patients suffering from ovarian cancer.

NY-ESO-1 is a tumour antigen that scientists have discovered is linked to a higher rate of aggressive cancers and early death, based on the findings of a study conducted by the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The antigen is characterised by its aberrant expression in solid tumour tissue despite its restricted expression in normal tissue.

Between 2002 and 2016, the study tested over 1,000 ovarian cancer patients for their NY-ESO-1 expression levels. Most cases were at stage IIIC or IV of the disease. It was found that the tumour antigen was associated with lower rates of progression-free survival and overall survival. It was also noted that patients with cancers expressing the antigen enrolled in cancer vaccine trials displayed significantly improved survival rates compared to clinically identical patients who did not participate.

First author Dr J. Brian Szender, Fellow in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at Roswell Park remarked, "this is the largest study of NY-ESO-1 expression in ovarian cancer patients, and the first time that expression of this antigen has been identified as a marker for more aggressive disease."

Kunle Odunsi, Deputy Director of Roswell Park and Chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, added: "We suggest that NY-ESO-1 be a high-priority target for future immunotherapy studies, given the high prevalence of NY-ESO-1 expression in ovarian cancer and the association of this tumor antigen with adverse clinical outcomes. It is possible that in the coming years, NY-ESO-1 expression in ovarian cancer will be as important to the treating oncologist as HER2 expression is for the treatment of breast cancer."