High serum levels of inflammatory markers are associated with early recurrence in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer after platinum therapy

Abstract

Objective: To determine if inflammatory biomarkers can predict the long-term outcome of platinum therapy in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Methods: Women diagnosed with high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer (n = 70) at a single institution were enrolled in a prospective serum collection study between 2005 and 2020. Seventeen markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were measured in serum samples on a chemistry analyzer. Association was tested for serum levels with progression-free survival (PFS), time to recurrence (TTR), overall survival (OS), and time to death (TTD) using Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier curves. Patient survival was censored at 10 years.

Results: Higher serum levels of LDH were associated with worse PFS (HR 2.57, p = 0.028). High serum levels of BAP (HR 0.38, p = 0.025), GSP (HR 0.40, p = 0.040), HDL-c (HR 0.27, p = 0.002), and MG (HR 0.36, p = 0.017) were associated with improved PFS. Higher expression of LDH was associated with worse OS (HR 2.16, p = 0.023). Higher levels of CK.nac (HR 0.39, p = 0.033) and HDL-c (HR 0.35, p = 0.029) were associated with improved OS. Similar outcomes were found with TTR and TTD analyses.

Conclusion: General inflammatory biomarkers may serve as a guide for prognosis and treatment benefit. Future studies needed to further define their role in predicting prognosis or how these markers may affect response to therapy.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Gynecological neoplasms; Inflammatory proteins; Ovaries; Prognosis.