Australian researchers to develop new test for ovarian cancer

Australian researchers are working on a new blood test to improve ovarian cancer diagnosis, with the potential to reduce unnecessary surgery.

The test, developed by scientists at Hudson Institute of Medical Research and commercialised by Cleo Diagnostics, will be underpinned by a novel biomarker, CXCL10, which is produced early and at high levels by ovarian cancers, but not in non-malignant disease.

The solution is hoped to accurately distinguish benign from malignant disease without surgical intervention. If successful, it has the potential to improve early evaluation, speed up diagnosis, lower healthcare costs and reduce stress and anxiety associated with a surgical diagnosis.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of all cancers affecting women in Australia. The current five year survival rate is 49 per cent and this has not changed substantively in 50 years.

Ovarian cancers are often indistinguishable from common, non-cancerous disease. Currently patients undergo a combined blood test and ultrasound to provide an assessment of disease.

However, experts argue neither is sufficient for an accurate diagnosis and they are only used for surgical referral.

As there is no accurate detection test for ovarian cancer, surgery to remove the ovaries remains the only way to diagnose the presence of malignant disease.

“There is often a delay in sending patients to a gynaecological oncology specialist for treatment, because defining whether a growth is likely to be malignant or not before surgery is very difficult,” explained Professor Tom Jobling, lead medical advisor at Cleo Diagnostics.

“This new test will help ensure that an optimal management plan can be put in place early, which will streamline the referral process and provide the best care for patients.

“This also extends to patients with benign conditions, where early identification will permit direction to more appropriate use of resources.”

Hudson Institute’s CEO, Professor Elizabeth Hartland, added: “Hudson Institute is delighted to be partnering with Cleo Diagnostics to take our work on ovarian cancer one step closer to delivering a much-needed diagnostic test.”

Initial clinical use of the test, the researchers have said, will focus on the surgical triage market to improve treatment outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer, and avoid unnecessary surgery and anxiety for women with far more common non-cancerous conditions.

Beyond surgical triage, Cleo Diagnostics will conduct further clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of the underlying core technology for disease recurrence following surgery, aiming to develop broader screening applications in the general population.