Biomarker discovery in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of gynecologic cancer death among women. Tumors diagnosed early (in stage I) have a cure rate approaching 90%. However, because specific symptoms and screening tools are lacking, most ovarian cancers are very advanced when finally diagnosed. CA125 expression and pelvic ultrasonography are of limited efficacy in screening, and the search for new, complementary ovarian cancer biomarkers continues. New technology and research techniques have allowed the identification of over 100 possible tumor markers, many of which are still being evaluated for clinical relevance and several of which have entered clinical trials. Here, we review the methods of biomarker discovery, address the significance and functions of newly identified ovarian cancer tumor markers, and provide further insight into the future of ovarian cancer biomarkers.