A novel hysteroscopic approach for ovarian cancer screening/early diagnosis

Abstract

Abstract. The lethality of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) may be due to common misconceptions regarding etiology and the absence of effective screening and early diagnostic tools. Reviews of histopathological surveys performed on the resected fallopian tubes of breast cancer (BRCA) mutation carriers, who underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy, unexpectedly revealed the presence of occult carcinomas of the fallopian tubes. This finding prompted studies that demonstrated the most accredited theory of type II EOC development, which suggests that a large proportion of these tumors are derived from the fallopian tube. At present, no diagnostic tools or screening programs have been demonstrated to be effective or cost-effective in improving the outcome of EOC; it is therefore imperative that the scientific community unite its efforts in the identification of a valid screening and/or early diagnostic method for the treatment of this lethal gynecological malignancy. To this end, the present paper proposes a novel tool for the screening/early diagnosis of EOC: The 'Tuba-check'. This novel approach is based on the possibility of acquiring specimens for tubal lumen cytology via hysteroscopy in a minimally-invasive outpatient setting. The present study protocol aimed to validate the technical feasibility and oncological accuracy of the proposed approach, commencing with a cohort of patients with an expected increased oncological risk, including BRCA mutation carriers or those with a gene expression profile of 'BRCA-ness'. If the data collected by the present study protocol validates this approach, the 'Tuba-check' may, in the near future, be extended for the treatment of all women, therefore reducing the number of victims of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: CYPA promotes the progression and metastasis of serous ovarian cancer (SOC) in vitro and in vivo

“…The majority of ovarian cancers (nearly 90%) are originated from epithelial tissues [4,5]. Despite ongoing efforts to find effective treatment methods for OC, the overall survival rate remains less than 30%, which was mainly caused by the difficulty for early diagnosis, and often results in a poor prognosis [6,7]. Serous ovarian cancer (SOC) is a distinct histological subtype of OC, which is usually diagnosed at advanced stage [8].…”

Novel Approaches to Ovarian Cancer Screening

“…Following instillation of normal saline, the fluid containing the end-luminal fallopian cells will be aspirated and analyzed with cytology. [92] Several groups have started to characterize the cytology of the fallopian tube as well as endometrial cytology for early detection of ovarian cancer, although further analysis and standardization is needed. [93][94][95][96] Liquid based cervical Pap smear testing, which includes both cytological analysis and DNA detection, has dramatically reduced cervical cancer mortality and has recently been studied as a screening tool for other cancers.…”

PIM Kinases and Their Relevance to the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in the Regulation of Ovarian Cancer

“…This case-to-fatality ratio makes OC as the most lethal gynecologic-cancer. This high mortality rate by OC is due to less-effective diagnostic tools/screening programs and higher heterogeneity of OC, reviewed in [ 3 ]. Most treatment strategies have targeted OC as one disease but OC comprises various types of tumors that differ in their morphology, etiology, molecular biology and prognosis.…”