Kallikrein 6 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Ovarian Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Hoffman B R, Katsaros D, Scorilas A, Diamandis P, Fracchioli S, Rigault de la Longrais I A, Colgan T, Puopolo M, Giardina G, Massobrio M, Diamandis E P
Primary Institution: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Hypothesis
Does the level of human kallikrein 6 protein in ovarian tumors correlate with patient outcomes?
Conclusion
Higher levels of kallikrein 6 in ovarian tumors are associated with worse patient outcomes.
Supporting Evidence
- 30% of the tumors were positive for kallikrein 6, indicating a higher risk of disease progression.
- Patients with high kallikrein 6 levels had a hazard ratio of 1.71 for disease progression.
- Multivariate analysis showed kallikrein 6 positivity as an independent prognostic variable in certain patient subgroups.
Takeaway
This study found that a protein called kallikrein 6 can help predict how well patients with ovarian cancer will do. If the protein level is high, it usually means the cancer is more aggressive.
Methodology
The study measured kallikrein 6 levels in tumor extracts from 180 ovarian cancer patients and correlated these levels with clinical outcomes over a median follow-up of 62 months.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in patient selection and tumor sampling could affect the results.
Limitations
The study may not account for all potential confounding factors affecting survival.
Participant Demographics
Patients aged 25 to 82 years, median age 59, with various stages and types of ovarian cancer.
Statistical Information
P-Value
P<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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