Nidogen-2: A new serum biomarker for ovarian cancer

Objectives: New ovarian cancer biomarkers suitable for early disease diagnosis, prognosis or monitoring could improve patient management and outcomes. Design and Methods: Nidogen-2 was measured by immunoassay in serum of 100 healthy women, 100 women with benign gynecological conditions and 100 women with ovarian carcinoma. Results: Serum nidogen-2 concentration between normal and benign disease patients was not different (median, 13.2 and 12.1 mg/L, respectively). However, nidogen-2 concentration in serum of ovarian cancer patients was elevated (median, 18.6 mg/L;p<0.0001). Both nidogen-2 and CA125 were elevated more in serous histotypes of ovarian cancer and late state disease. Nidogen-2 and CA125 concentrations were strongly correlated. ROC curve analysis for nidogen-2 had an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.73 to 0.83 but CA125 was superior (AUC ranging from 0.87 to 0.99). There was no complementarity between the two markers. Conclusions: Nidogen-2 is a new biomarker for ovarian cancer which correlates closely with CA125. (C) 2009 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.