A metabolite-based liquid biopsy for detection of ovarian cancer

Serial CA125 and second line transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) screening in the UKCTOCS indicated a shift towards detection of earlier stage ovarian cancer (OvCa), but did not yield a significant mortality reduction. There remains a need to establish additional biomarkers that can complement CA125 for even earlier and at a larger proportion of new cases. Using a cohort of plasma samples from 219 OvCa cases (59 stage I/II and 160 stage III/IV) and 409 female controls and a novel Sensitivity Maximization At A Given Specificity (SMAGS) method, we developed a blood-based metabolite-based test consisting of 7 metabolites together with CA125 for detection of OvCa. At a 98.5% specificity cutpoint, the metabolite test achieved sensitivity of 86.2% for detection of early-stage OvCa and was able to capture 64% of the cases with low CA125 levels (< 35 units/mL). In an independent test consisting of 65 early-stage OvCa cases and 141 female controls, the metabolite panel achieved sensitivity of 73.8% at a 91.4% specificity and captured 13 (44.8%) out of 29 early-stage cases with CA125 levels < 35 units/mL. The metabolite test has utility for ovarian cancer screening, capable of improving upon CA125 for detection of early-stage disease.