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Updated: Nov 18, 2025
Surface-enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering Nanoprobe Ratiometry for Detecting Microscopic Ovarian Cancer via Folate Receptor Targeting
Published on: March 25, 2019
A PSMA-targeted theranostic approach is unlikely to be efficient in serous ovarian cancers
Nicolas Aide1,2, Laurent Poulain2,3, Nicolas Elie4
1Nuclear Medicine Department, University Hospital, Caen, France.
Purpose:
Until now, results evaluating the expression of PSMA in ovarian cancer were sparse and contradictory. The aim was to reinvestigate the feasibility of a PSMA targeted theranostic approach in epithelial ovarian cancers with data from the tumour bank of a referring cancer centre.
Materials And Methods:
The OvaRessources Biological Resources Center database was screened from January 2004 to December 2017 to seek patients referred for the initial management of a serous epithelial ovarian cancer and for whom peritoneal histological samples were available in the tumour bank. Immunodetection of PSMA was performed to assess its cellular and neovascular expression. Slides were controlled by a certified pathologist, recorded as tiled tiff images and processed to compute the proportion of DAB stained surface.
Results:
Of the 51 patients identified by the database screening, 32 patients were included resulting in 57 samples (32 pre-chemotherapy and 25 post-chemotherapy histological samples). Nine patients were chemo-sensitive, 10 were partially chemo-sensitive and 13 were chemo-resistant/refractory. In the entire dataset, the expression of PSMA was quasi-inexistent: %DABPSMA = 0.04 (± 0.12) %. There was no significant difference in the %DABPSMA of sensitive, partially sensitive and resistant/refractory patients. There was also no significant difference in %DABPSMA in tumours before and after chemotherapy in the 25 patients for whom both samples were available.
Conclusion:
The present work demonstrates that PSMA expression is negligible and a fortiori non-sufficient to ensure its usefulness as a prognosticator or a target for a theranostic strategy in ovarian cancers.
Insights
Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression is negligible in epithelial ovarian cancers. This study found PSMA is not a viable target for ovarian cancer theranostics or as a prognosticator.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Imaging
- Theranostics
Background:
- Previous studies on PSMA expression in ovarian cancer yielded conflicting results.
- Theranostic approaches targeting PSMA are established in other cancers, but their feasibility in ovarian cancer remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in epithelial ovarian cancers.
- To determine the potential of PSMA as a target for theranostic strategies in ovarian cancer.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 57 histological samples from 32 patients with serous epithelial ovarian cancer.
- Immunodetection of PSMA expression and quantification of stained surface area (%DABPSMA).
- Assessment of PSMA expression in relation to chemotherapy response and timing (pre- vs. post-chemotherapy).
Main Results:
- PSMA expression was found to be negligible across all samples (%DABPSMA = 0.04 ± 0.12%).
- No significant differences in PSMA expression were observed between chemo-sensitive, partially sensitive, and chemo-resistant/refractory groups.
- PSMA expression levels did not differ significantly between pre- and post-chemotherapy samples.
Conclusions:
- PSMA expression in epithelial ovarian cancers is too low to be considered a useful prognosticator.
- The findings indicate that PSMA is not a suitable target for theranostic applications in ovarian cancer.
