Tumor markers in ovarian carcinoma.

This review analyzes in 2 ways the prognostic value of markers found in ovarian carcinomas before chemotherapy. It is known that neoangiogenesis, cyclooxygenase activity, and host responsiveness to chemotherapy can be evaluated by means of specific molecules recognized as tumor markers. However, host response as well as tumor histotype, grade of differentiation, clinical characteristics, and histopathologic characteristics must also be taken into account when selecting a treatment. Analysis must therefore focus on the molecular basis of aggressive disease, on tumor peculiarity, on the efficacy of chemotherapy, and on the host's response to the tumor. Although treatment may be more aggressive in patients with unfavorable prognostic elements, it may be modulated according to the molecular and cellular biology of the tumor and the host's response. When the tumor's molecular characterization contributes to the choice of treatment, prognostic markers may turn into predictive markers.