Assessment of concentrations of sTRAIL ligand and its receptors sTRAIL-R1 and sTRAIL-R2 - markers monitoring the course of the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis induction: potential application in ovarian cancer diagnostics

Blood bioactive sphingolipids in patients with advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer - mass spectrometry analysis

INTRODUCTION

Due to the lack of highly specific and sensitive methods for diagnosing ovarian cancer at advanced stages (according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification stage III-IV), new noninvasive biomarkers are urgently needed. This study aims to investigate how the levels of plasma bioactive sphingolipids (ceramides, sphingosine-1-phosphate, sphingosine and sphinganine) are altered in serum, erythrocytes and platelets of patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 135 patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer and 159 women with normal ovarian morphology were enrolled. Plasma levels of sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, sphinganine, ceramide C14:0-Cer, C16:0-Cer, C18:1-Cer, C18:0-Cer, C20:0-Cer, C22:0-Cer, C24:1-Cer and C24:0-Cer were assessed by LC/MS/MS.

RESULTS

Plasma concentrations of C16-Cer, C18:1-Cer and C18-Cer were significantly higher in the advanced ovarian cancer group than in the control group (1.5-fold, p = 0.021; 1.8-fold, p = 0.036 and 1.5-fold, p = 0.031, respectively). Plasma concentration of C18:1-Cer was significantly higher in erythrocytes of women with advanced serous cancer compared to the control group (p = 0.027). Plasma C16-Cer and C18:1-Cer levels and erythrocyte C18:1-Cer levels were able to distinguish patients with moderate/severe serous ovarian cancer from patients with mild ovarian cancer (AUC: 0.86, 0.898, 0.795, respectively). Plasma concentrations of C16, C18.1 and C18 significantly correlated with FIGO staging (p = 0.001, p = 0.024 and p = 0.005), and grading (p = 0.021, p = 0.021 and p = 0.033).

CONCLUSIONS

Plasma concentrations of C16, C18.1 and C18 correlated with the progression of ovarian cancer (FIGO staging and grading). Plasma levels of C16-Cer and C18:1-Cer and erythrocyte C18:1-Cer levels could be used to distinguish patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer.

Changes in the Concentration of Markers Participating in the Regulation of the Apoptosis Receptor Pathway Involving Soluble Tumour Necrosis Factor Ligand inducing Apoptosis (sTRAIL) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) in the Serum of Women with Ovarian Cancer-Participation in Pathogenesis or a Possible Clinical Use?

Due to the ability to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells, the most interesting target for clinical research is the tumour necrosis factor ligand inducing apoptosis (TRAIL), which binds specific receptors, including osteoprotegerin (OPG). The aim of the study was to analyse the concentration of soluble TRAIL (sTRAIL) and OPG in the serum of women with serous or mucinous ovarian cancer, taking into account different levels of cancer histological differentiation. The group included 97 women with the diagnosed Cystadenocarcinoma papillare serosum IIIc and Cystadenocarcinoma mucinosum IIIc. Concentrations of parameters were measured by ELISA. Analysis of the obtained results showed a statistically significantly higher concentration of sTRAIL and OPG in the serum of women with ovarian serous and mucinous cancer compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). Statistical significance was found between sTRAIL and OPG concentration in G1 and G3 serous cancer (p < 0.01) and in OPG mucinous cancer between G1 and G3 (p < 0.01) and G2 and G3 (p < 0.01). An important role in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is played by disorders of the apoptosis process involving the sTRAIL/OPG system, which are associated with the histological type and the degree of histological differentiation of the tumour. Determining the concentration of tested parameters in combination with other markers may be useful in the future in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, but that requires further research.

Therapeutic potential of patupilone in epithelial ovarian cancer and future directions

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy worldwide with extremely poor patient prognosis. Elucidation of the detailed mechanisms of action of drugs targeting this cancer type is necessary to optimize treatment efficacy. Epothilones, a new class of microtubule-stabilizing anticancer drugs, show strong cytotoxic properties in vitro and in vivo and are additionally effective in taxane-resistant cells. In this report, we focus on inhibitors of microtubule depolymerization, taxanes, and the novel antimicrotubule agents, epothilones. Current knowledge regarding the effects of epothilone B on ovarian tumor cell metabolism is reviewed, along with recent advances in therapeutic strategies, such as novel agents and biologic drug combinations containing epothilone that target aberrant pathways in ovarian cancer.