With the genomic revolution radical improvement has been made in methods of
detection of ovarian cancer. This is of the utmost importance, since the chances
of successful treatment are strongly enhanced with early detection. In a special
issue of Disease Markers, published by IOS Press, eleven articles explore new
developments in the identification and understanding of biomarkers for
epithelial ovarian cancer.
“Many of these biomarkers may serve not only as markers of clinical and biology
interest but also as potential therapeutic and imaging targets which could
significantly improve the survival of patients with this disease,” states Prof.
Michael J. Birrer (National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, Cell
and Cancer Biology Department, MD, USA).
Discussed in the issue are new hypotheses on the molecular development of
ovarian cancer, SP markers of risk, biomarkers that are specific for the
different histological subtypes, and new biomarkers and approaches for the early
detection of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, new molecular technologies have
allowed for the analysis and characterization of specific cellular components of
ovarian tumors identifying biomarkers of tumor associated immune and endothelial
cells.
