Identification of candidate biomarker mass (<i>m</i>/<i>z</i>) ranges in serous ovarian adenocarcinoma using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry profiling

Objective: To differentiate plasma from ovarian cancer and healthy individuals using MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. Materials and methods: MALDI-TOF was used to generate profiles of immuno-depleted plasma samples (89 cancers and 199 healthy individuals) that were fractionated using three types of magnetic beads (HIC8, WCX and IMAC-Cu). Results: Differentially expressed mass ranges showing >1.5–2-fold change in expression from HIC8 (30), WCX (12) and IMAC-Cu (6) fractions were identified. Cross validation and recognition capability scores for the models indicated discrimination between the classes. Conclusions: Spectral profiles can differentiate plasma samples of ovarian cancer patients from healthy individuals.