Identification of Plasma Microbiota Biosignatures for Early Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Detection

The purpose of this study was to identify and validate plasma microbial biosignatures detected in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) that can drive the development of non-invasive blood tests for early disease screening. This study used an existing consortium biobank of plasma specimens including EOC cases, non-EOC solid tumor cases, benign gynecologic disease cases, and control cases. We evaluated the microbial signatures of plasma samples with16S rRNA gene sequencing and assess for the most informative microbial taxa signature that rigorously discriminates between cases with and without EOC. This study marked a dynamic change in thinking to postulate that EOC-favorable microbiota may coalesce in the bloodstream early and signify ovarian carcinogenesis. The study findings can allow us to develop a method to detect early EOC during a routine well women exam by screening blood samples for unique bacterial DNA signatures, especially in women who are at high risk.