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Serum HE4 Level is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

  • Translational Research and Biomarkers
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Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

This study was designed to determine whether serum HE4 is an independent prognostic factor in ovarian cancer patients.

Methods

We measured HE4 in pretreatment serum samples from 80 women with epithelial ovarian cancer, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results were correlated with clinical data.

Results

The median serum HE4 level in ovarian cancer patients was 98.7 (range, 80.3–222.8) pg/ml. Elevated serum HE4 levels before therapy significantly correlated with a poorer progression free survival (log-rank test, P = 0.017). Multivariate analysis revealed serum HE4 to be an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival (P = 0.036). In multivariate regression analysis, high serum HE4 levels significantly correlated with high tumor grade and serous histology (P = 0.004 and 0.017). In addition, high serum HE4 levels were significantly associated with residual tumor size and operative time (P = 0.003 and 0.033).

Conclusions

Pretreatment serum HE4 seems to be an additional factor for predicting the outcome of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Due to its independence from established prognostic factors, serum HE4 may provide additional prognostic information.

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Acknowledgment

This study was funded by the grant of the National Cancer Center, Korea (Grant No. 0910260-3). We thank Ms. Il Ji Jeon for her technical support.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hematologic Malignancies Branch, Research Institute and Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea

    Sun-Young Kong MD, PhD & Mi Hwa Han MS

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Research Institute and Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea

    Sun-Young Kong MD, PhD

  3. Center for Uterine Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea

    Heon-Jong Yoo MD, Jong Ha Hwang MD, Myong Cheol Lim MD, PhD, Sang-Soo Seo MD, PhD, Chong-Woo Yoo MD, PhD, Sang-Yoon Park MD, PhD & Sokbom Kang MD, PhD

  4. Division of Gynecologic Cancer Research, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea

    Chong-Woo Yoo MD, PhD, Sang-Yoon Park MD, PhD & Sokbom Kang MD, PhD

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital and College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jae-Hoon Kim MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Sun-Young Kong MD, PhD
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  2. Mi Hwa Han MS
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  3. Heon-Jong Yoo MD
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  4. Jong Ha Hwang MD
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  5. Myong Cheol Lim MD, PhD
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  6. Sang-Soo Seo MD, PhD
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  7. Chong-Woo Yoo MD, PhD
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  8. Jae-Hoon Kim MD, PhD
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  9. Sang-Yoon Park MD, PhD
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  10. Sokbom Kang MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sokbom Kang MD, PhD.

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Kong, SY., Han, M.H., Yoo, HJ. et al. Serum HE4 Level is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol 19, 1707–1712 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-011-1943-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-011-1943-5

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