Comparison of total plasma lysophosphatidic acid and serum CA-125 as a tumor marker in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Objective:To evaluate the role of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as a tumor marker in diagnosis and follow-up of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods: Eighty-seven epithelial ovarian cancer patients, 74 benign ovarian tumor patients, and 50 healthy women were enrolled in the study. Twenty-nine of 87 epithelial ovarian cancer patients were followed up for 6 cycles of paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy. CA-125 and total plasma LPA levels were measured preoperatively and before each chemotherapy cycle. Results: Preoperative total plasma LPA and serum CA-125 levels were significantly higher in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer compared to patients with benign ovarian tumors and healthy women. Cut-off value for LPA was determined as 1.3 μmol/L and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 95%, 92%, 95% and 92%, respectively. Mean total plasma LPA level of 29 patients who received chemotherapy was 7.21±6.63 μmol/L preoperatively and 6.84±6.34 μmol/L, 6.34±5.92 μmol/L, 6.14±5.79 μmol/L, 5.86±5.68 μmol/L, 5.23±5.11 μmol/L and 5.21±5.32 μmol/L in measurements held just before the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th chemotherapy cycles, respectively (ANOVA, p=0.832). Total plasma LPA levels decreased slightly with chemotherapy administration and there was a weak negative correlation (Spearman, rs=−0.151, p=0.034), compared to a significant negative correlation in CA-125 (Spearman, rs=−0.596, p＜0.001). Conclusion: LPA is a better biomarker for diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer compared to CA-125. However, measurement of total plasma LPA levels during chemotherapy administration have no superiority to the serum CA-125 levels.

The Rho/ROCK pathway for lysophosphatidic acid-induced proteolytic enzyme expression and ovarian cancer cell invasion

“…LPA was first implicated in human oncogenesis, as this biolipid is present at high levels in the ascitic fluid of ovarian cancer patients (Mills et al, 1990;Xu et al, 1995). Consistently, higher plasma LPA level was reported in ovarian cancer patients compared with patients with benign ovarian masses and healthy subjects (Xu et al, 1998;Bese et al, 2010;Sedlakova et al, 2011). Further, ovarian cancer cells have been known to secrete LPA to make enriched environment (Fang et al, 2002).…”

Glycerol-3-phosphate Acyltransferase 1 Promotes Tumor Cell Migration and Poor Survival in Ovarian Carcinoma

“…Previous studies have shown that LPA levels are elevated in the ascites of ovarian cancer patients, most probably due to increased LPA production by cancer cells and the surrounding mesothelium (36,37,(41)(42)(43). The potential contribution of GPAM to this process is not known, thus justifying further investigation into its role in this disease.…”

Lysophosphatidic acid plasma concentrations in healthy subjects: circadian rhythm and associations with demographic, anthropometric and biochemical parameters

“…LPA is present in multiple body fluids, such as blood [16, 17], saliva [18] and urine [19]. Serum concentrations of LPA are higher than in plasma, which is probably caused by secretion of LPA by activated platelets [20].…”