Algorithms Used in Ovarian Cancer Detection: A Minireview on Current and Future Applications

Background: Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cause of cancer death among women in the US. Currently, there is no screening algorithm for asymptomatic women that has been shown to lower mortality rates. Screening is currently not recommended and has been shown to increase harm. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) detection is reviewed, with a focus on high-grade serous, clear-cell, and endometrioid histotypes.

Content: A review of current literature surrounding tools used in detection of ovarian cancer will be presented. CA 125, HE4, risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA), risk of malignancy algorithm (ROMA), risk of malignancy (RMI), OVA1, and future potential biomarkers are reviewed.

Summary: Screening and early identification of EOC is currently managed as a single disease entity. However, recent evidence has shown ovarian cancer varies with relation to cellular origin, pathogenesis, molecular alterations, and prognosis, depending on histotype. There is a clear need for future studies identifying histotype-specific preclinical tumor markers to aid in detection and improvement of survival rates.