Researchers are constantly trying to discover new biomarkers of cancer, chemicals that the body generates that can be used as indicators of a particular disease. Biomarkers are helpful in the early detection and monitoring of the disease condition and its treatment. One example has been the recent effort to understand the association between the protein osteopontin and ovarian cancer.

Studies to analyze tissue and blood samples from women with and without ovarian cancer at two U.S. academic institutions were conducted in an effort to validate the use of osteopontin as a biomarker for this specific type of cancer. Researchers discovered that much higher levels of the protein were present in the tissues and blood plasma of women with ovarian cancer than in those of healthy women or women with benign ovarian disease or other forms of gynecological cancer.

This discovery is promising, suggesting that a simple blood test measuring the amount of osteopontin could be a way to screen women for ovarian cancer, potentially before symptoms even appear. Such early detection would allow for more effective treatment. Further research is needed to determine the clinical usefulness of such a test before it would become available.

In the meantime, other promising advances have been made in methods for early detection of ovarian cancer (see In the News, below). One day soon, perhaps a combination of these tests will be an effective protocol for the mass screening of women for this deadly disease.