Lead researcher
Ms Amy Wilson, Ms Laura Moffitt
Main finding
Cancer-specific antibodies appear in the circulation of most patients with solid tumours, and typically are present well before the detection of clinical disease. Thus, they can provide specific and early indicators of tumour progression. Using high content protein arrays and ELISA testing, we identified auto-antibodies against several novel antigens in patients with early-stage ovarian cancer. These could specifically indicate the presence of early disease in a small patient group, and had an additive effect when used in combination with CA125 to detect ovarian cancers.
Centre
Centre for Cancer Research
Research group
Ovarian Cancer Biomamrkers
Journal and article title
Most surprising
The nature of antigens recognized by auto-antibodies was highly dynamic; not only did their identities change according to disease progression, but their cellular origin and recognition by different antibody subtypes were also dependent on disease stage. Most interestingly, IgA - a key antibody type found at mucosal surfaces, such as those of the reproductive tract - was elevated in early stage disease, and substantially reduced in the later stages.
Future implications
Mucosal immunity may be an important and novel indicator of the early presence of cancers in the female reproductive tract. Defining immune response at the mucosal surface could provide a novel and effective mechanism to screen for the early development of disease.
Disease/health impact
ovarian cancer
