[HE4, a novel marker for epithelial ovarian cancer: evaluation of analytical performances]

Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is a novel marker for ovarian cancer. HE4 exhibits a high sensitivity to detect ovarian cancer and can be used with CA125 as a predictor of malignancy. Additional uses of HE4 are as an aid of monitoring response to therapy for patients with invasive ovarian cancer and as a marker to detect recurrences in the follow-up after treatment of the primary tumor. The HE4 EIA, an enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative determination of HE4 in human serum developed by Fujirebio Diagnostic Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), is now available with a CE-IVD label in Europe (Diasource, Nivelles, Belgium). The aim of the study was to evaluate according to the COFRAC LAB GTA 04 guide, the analytical performance of the test, using 4 standardized samples (target values: 49.8, 140.4, 167.6 and 415.2 pmol/L) and serum samples from patients with ovarian cancer treated in our institution. Intra- and inter-assay precisions showed coefficients of variation less than 10%. The low limit of detection (4 pmol/L) and the limit of quantitation (8 pmol/L) are suitable for clinical samples assessment. The assay mean dilution linearity is 100 +/- 10% (90 to 107% of recovery). Globally, the uncertainty varied from 13.1% (low values) to 28.1% (elevated values). We conclude that the HE4 EIA from Fujirebio Diagnostic Inc. displayed convenient analytical performances that allows its use it clinical practice.