Growth Arrest-Specific Protein 6 Is Elevated in Endometriosis but Shows Poor Diagnostic Performance

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Immunology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Endometriosis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory gynecological condition requiring non-invasive diagnostic methods.
• Growth arrest-specific protein 6 (GAS6) is implicated in endometriosis pathophysiology and considered a potential biomarker.
• Current diagnostic methods for endometriosis primarily rely on invasive surgical procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diagnostic potential of GAS6 as a non-invasive biomarker for endometriosis.
• To evaluate the association between plasma GAS6 levels and the presence of endometriosis.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of GAS6 alone and in combination with CA-125 and clinical factors.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 284 patients was conducted.
• Plasma GAS6 levels were measured and compared between endometriosis patients and controls.
• Logistic regression models were developed using GAS6, CA-125, and clinical/lifestyle data.

Main Results:

• Plasma GAS6 levels were significantly higher in patients with endometriosis compared to controls.
• Models incorporating GAS6 and CA-125 showed promising AUC values (0.745 ± 0.04).
• A model combining CA-125, lifestyle data, and dysmenorrhea score achieved the highest AUC (0.767 ± 0.04), outperforming GAS6 alone.

Conclusions:

• While GAS6 is elevated in endometriosis, it does not demonstrate sufficient diagnostic capability as a standalone biomarker.
• Combining CA-125 with clinical and lifestyle factors offers improved diagnostic accuracy for endometriosis.
• Further investigation into novel non-invasive biomarkers for endometriosis is warranted.