Next-gen ovarian cancer screening test on the horizon

Local clinical trials for a blood test that could enable the early detection of ovarian cancer are set to begin at The University of Queensland (UQ) this year.

Researchers will assess the performance of UQ’s test as a population-based screening tool for ovarian cancer, often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ due to its typically late-stage diagnosis.

Professor Carlos Salomon Gallo, Director of the UQ Centre for Extracellular Vesicle Nanomedicine, said the study will recruit around 1,500 women across Queensland to determine the test’s suitability for widespread screening.

“Rapid and accurate identification of asymptomatic ovarian cancer will dramatically improve survival rates,” Professor Salomon Gallo said.

“Ovarian cancer ranks as the 8th most prevalent cause of death for women, with the elevated mortality rate primarily because diagnosis usually occurs when the disease is at an advanced stage.

“In this study, we will confirm the performance of the test under real-world conditions, which will involve the collection of blood samples from multiple sites throughout Queensland and their shipment to a central laboratory for analysis.”

The test, developed by Dr Salomon Gallo’s team, targets extracellular vesicles (EVs) – microscopic bubbles produced by cells that contain proteomic and genomic information indicative of cancer.

UQ has partnered with ASX-listed biotechnology company INOVIQ to develop the world’s first EV-based ovarian cancer screening test. The test has already been evaluated on more than 500 blood samples, demonstrating an overall accuracy of 94%.

“Another advantage of this test is the extremely low false positive rate of 4 per cent in previous studies, which makes it a suitable candidate as a screening tool,” Professor Salomon Gallo said.

“If the false positive rate is high, say 10%, then too many women would be sent for further diagnostic investigations and biopsies they don’t need, and this creates unnecessary anxiety and places an extra burden on the healthcare system.

“We hope this test enables women with ovarian cancer to be diagnosed at the earliest stage, when they have a fighting chance against this silent killer.”

The trial will enrol postmenopausal women over the age of 45 with no prior history of ovarian cancer.

The five-year program has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in partnership with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and the Lions Medical Research Foundation. It will also be conducted in collaboration with Mater Research and the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer Research.

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