Can the preoperative HE4 level predict optimal cytoreduction in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma?

Optimal surgical outcome has been proved to be one of the most powerful survival determinants in the management of ovarian cancer patients. Actually, for ovarian cancer patients there is no general consensus on the preoperatively establishment of cytoreducibility.

Between January 2011 and June 2012 patients affected by suspicious advanced ovarian cancer, referred to the Department of Gynecology of Campus Biomedico of Rome were enrolled in the study. All patients had serum CA125 and HE4 measured preoperatively. After a complete laparoscopy to assess the possibility of optimal debulking surgery defined as no visible residual tumor after cytoreduction (RT=0), patients were submitted to primary cytoreductive surgery (Group A) or addressed to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Group B).

After diagnostic open laparoscopy, 36 patients underwent optimal primary cytoreductive surgery (Group A) and 21 patients were addressed to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Group B). In our population, based on ROC curve, the HE4 value of 262pmol/L is the best cut-off to identify patients candidates to optimal cytoreduction with a sensitivity of 86.1% and a specificity of 89.5% (PPV=93.9% and NPV=77%). In addition, CA125 has a sensitivity of 58.3% and a specificity of 84% at cut-off of 414 UI/mL (AUC is 0.68, 95% C.I.=0.620 to 0.861).

Our data indicate that preoperative HE4 is a better predictor for optimal cytoreduction compared to CA125. The best combination in predicting cytoreduction is HE4≤262 pmol/L and ascites <500mL with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 89.5% (PPV=94% and NPV=100%).