Many MindedBlood RNA marker flags precancerous lesions where ovarian cancer often starts
A study published Tuesday in Nature Medicine reports that a blood-borne RNA molecule called Tu-Stroma is elevated in women with serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma, known as STIC. STIC is a precancerous lesion in the lining of the fallopian tubes, where ovarian cancer often begins. The work was led by Rajan Gogna of the Hoag Family Cancer Institute in Newport Beach, California.
The reported accuracy figures are striking. Measuring Tu-Stroma in blood detected STIC in 92.3% of affected women and correctly identified 98.2% of healthy women. Among women with genetic risk factors for ovarian cancer, about 72% of positive results would be accurate, while negative results would be correct nearly 100% of the time. The researchers note that earlier efforts at early detection have focused on finding smaller tumors. This approach looks instead for the precancerous stage.
That shift matters because ovarian cancer is often discovered only after it has spread. Co-author Dr Esha Madan of Hoag says decisions about preventive surgery, which means removing the fallopian tubes and ovaries in high-risk women, currently rest mainly on inherited risk, without knowing whether precancerous lesions are present. A blood marker that shows whether a lesion exists could give those women and their doctors information they lack today. Knowing sooner is the precondition for acting sooner.
The caveats are real. The findings are described as a potential diagnostic breakthrough, not a validated clinical test, and Madan says the discovery could eventually provide information on lesions, so it is not in clinical use. Details on sample size and study design were not reported. The roughly 72% figure also means about one in four positive results in the genetically at-risk group would be wrong. Watch for larger independent validation before this changes any care.
Source: Guardian