Role of osteopontin in differential diagnosis of ovarian tumors

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the serum osteopontin (OPN) level as a biomarker for discriminating between malignant and benign ovarian tumors. Furthermore, comparisons with the diagnostic usefulness of the other tests were performed. Methods: The study included 114 consecutive women with ovarian tumors (82 benign and 32 malignant) who were referred to our division. Results: A cut-off level of 28.0 ng/mL for OPN showed a sensitivity of 71.87% and a specificity of 89.02%. The area under the receiver-operator curve (ROC) was 0.812. There were no differences in diagnostic utility between OPN and the other studied tests. OPN levels were lower in patients with endometriotic ovarian cysts than in those with other benign ovarian tumors (14.00 vs 19.50 ng/mL; P = 0.018). The difference between the median OPN level in patients with endometriotic cysts (14.0 ng/mL) and those with malignant tumors (40.85 ng/mL) was also statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The calculated OPN/CA-125 ratio was significantly different between patients with endometriotic cysts (median, 0.36; range, 0.05-2.89) and those with other benign tumors (median, 1.25; range, 0.05-5.70) (P = 0.0002). There was also a statistically significant difference in the median OPN/CA-125 ratio between patients with endometrial cysts (median, 0.36; range, 0.05-2.89) and those with malignant tumors (median, 0.12; range, 0.01-3.39) (P = 0.004). Conclusion:The diagnostic utility of OPN is similar to that of ultrasonographic evaluation and CA-125 level assessment. Thus, OPN may be useful in differential diagnosis for less experienced ultrasonographers and is especially valuable for differential diagnosis of endometriotic cysts.

Role of osteopontin in the pathophysiology of cancer

“…Changes in levels of OPN are involved in ovarian clear cell carcinoma cell invasion and it could have a crucial role in ovarian clear cell carcinoma therapy (Matsuura et al, 2010). The diagnostic utility of OPN is similar to that of ultrasonographic evaluation and CA-125 level assessment especially for differential diagnosis of endometriotic cysts (Moszynski et al, 2013). Studies of melanoma patients showed that there was a trend for increased risk of death with increasing OPN levels.…”

Can Osteopontin Be Considered a Biomarker for Endometriosis?

“…Moszynski et al, in 2013, conducted a study on OPN and found out that the median OPN level was significantly lower in the serum of women with endometriosis than in women with other types of benign ovarian pathology, with a range between 4.82-106 pg/mL [22]. These results are consistent with the ones we obtained and, contrary to what Cho et al obtained in their study in 2009, that showed higher levels of OPN in patients with endometriosis than those without the disease [1].…”

Assessment of selected cytokines, proteins, and&nbsp;growth factors in the peritoneal fluid of patients with ovarian cancer and benign gynecological conditions

“…OPN is a mediator of cell adhesion; it has chemotactic, pro-angiogenic, and apoptosis-inhibitory properties 56,57. OPN is ascribed with diagnostic and prognostic properties,56,58–60 and some researchers note its possible use in cancer treatment 61. The study by Kato and Motoyama62 revealed a markedly higher expression of OPN in clear cell ovarian cancer compared with serous ovarian cancer.…”