Serum high-density lipoprotein level and prognosis of ovarian cancer

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level in patients with ovarian cancer. This study enrolled 152 patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 119 patients with benign ovarian tumors. The associations of patient characteristics and disease with survival were determined using Cox regression analysis, t tests, analysis of variance for multiple-group comparisons, and chi-square tests. The potential association between HDL levels and the clinical characteristics of the disease was also analyzed. The diagnostic value of HDL was estimated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and calculation of the area under the curve. Progression-free survival and overall survival were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method, and their associations with patient and pathological variables, including HDL, were determined using the log-rank test. The median serum HDL was 1.15 mm measured in 152 patients with ovarian cancer and 1.30 mm in 119 patients with benign ovarian tumors (P = .000054). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.735 for serum HDL levels. Serum HDL levels were significantly associated with tumor pathological types (non-serous vs serous, P < .05). No association was observed between serum HDL levels and patient age, age at menarche or marriage, number of children, tumor grade, or clinical stage (P > .05). Patients with high serum HDL levels had a longer progression-free survival and overall survival than those with low serum HDL levels. Serum HDL levels are an independent prognostic factor for ovarian cancer.