Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydial Heat Shock Protein 60 and Anti-Chlamydial Antibodies in Women with Epithelial Ovarian Tumors

OBJECTIVE: Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) infection has been suggested to promote epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) development. This study sought to explore the presence of C. trachomatis DNA and chlamydial heat shock protein 60 (chsp60) in ovarian tissue, as well as anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies in plasma, in relation to subtypes of EOC. METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort consisted of 69 women who underwent surgery due to suspected ovarian pathology. Ovarian tissue and corresponding blood samples were collected at the time of diagnosis. In ovarian tumor tissue, p53, p16, Ki67 and chsp60 were analyzed immunohistochemically, and PCR was used to detect C. trachomatis DNA. Plasma C. trachomatis IgG and cHSP60 IgG were analyzed with a commercial MIF-test and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: Eight out of 69 women had C. trachomatis DNA in their ovarian tissue, all were invasive ovarian cancer cases (16.7% of invasive EOC). The prevalence of the chsp60 protein, C. trachomatis IgG and cHSP60 IgG in HGSC, compared to other ovarian tumors, was 56.0% vs. 37.2% P = .13, 15.4% vs. 9.3% P = .46 and 63.6% vs. 45.5% P = .33 respectively. None of the markers of C. trachomatis infection were associated with p53, p16 or Ki67. CONCLUSIONS: C. trachomatis was detected in invasive ovarian cancer, supporting a possible role in carcinogenesis of EOC. However, there were no statistically significant associations of chsp60 in ovarian tissue, or plasma anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies, with any of the subtypes of ovarian tumors.