Biomarkers of Gynecological Cancers

Tumor markers are molecules or substances produced by malignant tumors or the surrounding tissues that enter the circulation in detectable amounts. The majority of biomarkers are tumor-associated rather than tumor-specific and show elevated levels in multiple cancers. Tumor markers thus can be helpful for differential diagnosis but are not themselves diagnostic. In the field of gynecologic malignancies, biomarkers of ovarian cancer have been eagerly investigated owing to the difficulty in screening. Despite large efforts to develop novel biomarkers, cancer antigen 125 (CA125) has been the only biomarker clinically used, and no other marker has been able to outperform CA125. Noncoding RNAs, metabolites, and circulating tumor DNAs have recently emerged as cancer biomarkers and are being applied to clinical practice. Genomic biomarkers with predictive values are now used to select therapeutic drugs, especially molecular-targeted drugs. In this chapter, we describe ovarian cancer biomarkers in detail. In addition, biomarkers of uterine cancer and cervical cancer are summarized.