Prospects of Improving Early Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Using Cervical Cell Swabs

Ovarian cancer (OC) has the poorest prognosis and the highest mortality rate among gynecological malignancies, which is largely due to delayed diagnosis. Therefore, an effective detection strategy is a compelling need. Here, we review the potential use of cervical cell swabs (Pap specimens, liquid) for early detection of OC. It has been shown, that malignant cells exfoliate from the ovaries and may be detected in Pap specimens, routinely collected through cervical cancer screening. Using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for searching the PubMed database we identified eight studies reporting the use of Pap specimen in early detection of OC. Six focused on detection of gene mutations, using gene panels or analysis of TP53 variants. Two studies reported analysis of methylation profiles. Seven studies were published in 2018 or later. Additionally, we found one study without MeSH terms assigned yet, which postulated using peptide biomarkers present in Pap-test fluid. In this review we present their main findings, discuss challenges this approach presents and include ideas for improved detection.

Automated summary

In this article, the potential use of cervical cell swabs (Pap specimens, liquid) for early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) is reviewed. The article presents the main findings of studies focusing on gene mutation detection and methylation profile analysis using Pap specimens, as well as one study proposing the use of peptide biomarkers in Pap-test fluid. The challenges and ideas for improved detection are also discussed.