Uterine washings as a novel method for early detection of ovarian cancer: Trials and tribulations.

Given the tubal origin of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC), we sought to investigate intrauterine lavage (IUL) as a novel method of biomarker detection. IUL and serum samples were collected from patients with HGSC or benign pathology. Although CA-125 and HE4 concentrations were significantly higher in IUL samples compared to serum, they were similar between IUL samples from patients with HGSC vs benign conditions. In contrast, CA-125 and HE4 serum concentrations differed between HGSC and benign pathology ( P  =.002 for both). IUL and tumor samples from patients with HGSC were subjected to targeted panel sequencing and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Tumor mutations were found in 75 % of matched IUL samples. Serum CA-125 and HE4 biomarker levels allowed for better differentiation of HGSC and benign pathology compared to IUL samples. We believe using IUL for early detection of HGSC requires optimization, and current strategies should focus on prevention until early detection strategies improve.
Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: D.A.H. is a co-founder and officer with equity interest of Lime Therapeutics Inc., co-founder with equity interest of Selectin Therapeutics Inc. and Resident Diagnostics, Inc., and a member of the scientific advisory boards of Concarlo Therapeutics Inc., Nanorobotics Inc., and Mediphage Bioceuticals Inc. B.W. reports research funding by Repare Therapeutics, outside of the submitted work. E.S. reports honoraria from Dilon Technologies, Inc. D.A.L. is a full-time employee of Merck & Co., Inc. (Rahway, NJ, USA) and a co-founder with equity interest of Resident Diagnostics, Inc. N.A.R. reports grant funding from GRAIL paid to the institution. D.S.C. reports personal fees from Apyx Medical, Verthermia Inc., Biom 'Up, and AstraZeneca, as well as recent or current stock/options ownership of Apyx Medical, Verthemia, Intuitive Surgical, Inc., TransEnterix, Inc., Doximity, Moderna, and BioNTech SE. K.L.R. reports travel support from Intuitive Surgical. T.Y.S and M.F. have no conflicts of interest to report.
(© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)