Ovarian cancer symptoms in pre-clinical invasive epithelial ovarian cancer - An exploratory analysis nested within the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS).

UKCTOCS provides an opportunity to explore symptoms in preclinical invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (iEOC). We report on symptoms in women with pre-clinical (screen-detected) cancers (PC) compared to clinically diagnosed (CD) cancers. In UKCTOCS, 202638 postmenopausal women, aged 50-74 were randomly allocated (April 17, 2001-September 29, 2005) 2:1:1 to no screening or annual screening till Dec 31,2011, using a multimodal or ultrasound strategy. Follow-up was through national registries. An outcomes committee adjudicated on OC diagnosis, histotype, stage. Eligible women were those diagnosed with iEOC at primary censorship (Dec 31, 2014). Symptom details were extracted from trial clinical-assessment forms and medical records. Descriptive statistics were used to compare symptoms in PC versus CD women with early (I/II) and advanced (III/IV/unable to stage) stage high-grade-serous (HGSC) cancer. ISRCTN-22488978; ClinicalTrials.gov-NCT00058032. 1133 (286PC; 847CD) women developed iEOC. Median age (years) at diagnosis was earlier in PC compared to CD (66.8PC, 68.7CD, p = 0.0001) group. In the PC group, 48% (112/234; 90%, 660/730CD) reported symptoms when questioned. Half PC (50%, 13/26PC; 36%, 29/80CD; p = 0.213) women with symptomatic HGSC had >1symptom, with abdominal symptoms most common, both in early (62%, 16/26, PC; 53% 42/80, CD; p = 0.421) and advanced (57%, 49/86, PC; 74%, 431/580, CD; p = 0.001) stages. In symptomatic early-stage HGSC, compared to CD, PC women reported more gastrointestinal (change in bowel habits and dyspepsia) (35%, 9/26PC; 9%, 7/80CD; p = 0.001) and systemic (mostly lethargy/tiredness) (27%, 7/26PC; 9%, 7/80CD; p = 0.017) symptoms. Our findings, add to the growing evidence, that we should reconsider what constitutes alert symptoms for early tubo-ovarian cancer. We need a more nuanced complex of key symptoms which is then evaluated and refined in a prospective trial.

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Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest UM had stock ownership awarded by University College London (UCL) between until October 2021 in Abcodia, which holds the licence for ROCA. She and MP have received grants and AGM, MB, JK and AR have been funded by grants from the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and The Eve Appeal. UM has also received grants from UK Innovate and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia and salary support from UCL Hospital Biomedical Research Centre. UM, AGM and SA report funded research collaborations with industry - iLOF (intelligent Lab on Fiber), RNA Guardian, Micronoma, MercyBio Analytics and academics -Cambridge University, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Imperial College London, University of Innsbruck and Dana Farber USA. UM holds patent number EP10178345.4 for Breast Cancer Diagnostics. AGM is a member of ACED Gynaecological Cancer Working Group and is ACED Co-Director Research Domain Trials. MP was an Associate Member of the EME funding committee while the project was active. SJS reports that Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has co-licensed software for ROCA to Abcodia, now owned by GenInCode, with MGH licence revenue to MGH and research laboratories per MGH institutional policies. SJS receives grant support from National Cancer Institute (USA) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK). He is paid for service on the clinical advisory board for Guardant Health. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for LUNGevity. He has stock options from SISCAPA Assay Technologies for participation on its Scientific Advisory Board. IJJ reports grants from Eve Appeal Charity, MRC, Cancer Research UK, and NIHR during the conduct of the study. He co-invented the ROCA in 1995. Massachusetts General Hospital and Queen Mary University of London granted a licence for the ROCA to Abcodia in 2014. IJJ is non-executive director, shareholder, and consultant to Abcodia and has rights to royalties from sales of the ROCA. He founded (1985), was a trustee of (2012–14), and is now an Emeritus trustee (2015–present) of The Eve Appeal, one of the funding agencies for UKCTOCS. LF reports MRC funding for the psychosocial arm of the UKCTOCS study 2001–13, paid to University of Sussex. NS received honoraria from Astra-Zeneca-MPC and GlaxoSmithKline for participation in advisory boards. AMcG was a member of NIHR HTA and EME Editoral Board (2012 to 2022). RM reports funding from The Eve Appeal, Rosetrees Trust, Barts Charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research, Ovacure, British Gynaecological Cancer Society (BGCS), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Honoraria from Astrazeneca and EGL. All other authors declare no competing interests.