Nidogen-2: A new serum biomarker for ovarian cancer

Objectives:New ovarian cancer biomarkers suitable for early disease diagnosis, prognosis or monitoring could improve patient management and outcomes.Design and Methods:Nidogen-2 was measured by immunoassay in serum of 100 healthy women, 100 women with benign gynecological conditions and 100 women with ovarian carcinoma.Results:Serum nidogen-2 concentration between normal and benign disease patients was not different (median, 13.2 and 12.1 mg/L, respectively). However, nidogen-2 concentration in serum of ovarian cancer patients was elevated (median, 18.6 mg/L; p < 0.0001). Both nidogen-2 and CA125 were elevated more in serous histotypes of ovarian cancer and late state disease. Nidogen-2 and CA125 concentrations were strongly correlated. ROC curve analysis for nidogen-2 had an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.73 to 0.83 but CA125 was superior (AUC ranging from 0.87 to 0.99). There was no complementarity between the two markers.Conclusions:Nidogen-2 is a new biomarker for ovarian cancer which correlates closely with CA125.