Molecular analysis for ovarian cancer detection in patient-friendly samples

Abstract

Background: High ovarian cancer mortality rates motivate the development of effective and patient-friendly diagnostics. Here, we explored the potential of molecular testing in patient-friendly samples for ovarian cancer detection. Methods: Home-collected urine, cervicovaginal self-samples, and clinician-taken cervical scrapes were prospectively collected from 54 patients diagnosed with a highly suspicious ovarian mass (benign n = 25, malignant n = 29). All samples were tested for nine methylation markers, using quantitative methylation-specific PCRs that were verified on ovarian tissue samples, and compared to non-paired patient-friendly samples of 110 age-matched healthy controls. Copy numb..