A recent study published in eBioMedicine explores the use of proteomic signatures from cervicovaginal fluid and blood plasma as potential biomarkers for endometrial cancer detection. This form of cancer, increasingly prevalent in high-income countries, is highly treatable if detected early, with survival rates over 90% following curative hysterectomy. However, for advanced stages, survival drops significantly, highlighting the need for early, non-invasive diagnostic options. Traditional diagnostic methods, like biopsies and transvaginal ultrasounds, while effective, are invasive and often distressing, creating demand for simpler tests. Cervicovaginal fluid, derived from uterine and cervical secretions, presents a promising biomarker source, as previous studies have shown its potential in diagnosing other reproductive tract conditions.
In this study, researchers compared the performance of proteins derived from cervicovaginal fluid and plasma. They conducted mass spectrometry to analyze protein signatures in 118 postmenopausal women, 53 of whom had endometrial cancer. Results showed that cervicovaginal fluid proteins offered more effective discrimination between cancerous and non-cancerous cases compared to plasma proteins. A model using the five most discriminatory proteins in cervicovaginal fluid achieved a 0.95 area under the curve (AUC) with 91% sensitivity and 86% specificity, highlighting the fluid’s potential for early detection. Plasma-derived proteins were less effective, showing moderate discrimination.
Key proteins identified included IGHM, HPT, FGA, LY6D, and LG3BP in cervicovaginal fluid, with HPT, PSMA7, and APOD serving as plasma biomarkers. Panels comprising these proteins also demonstrated high predictive accuracy for both early- and advanced-stage cancer. These findings suggest that proteomic analysis of cervicovaginal fluid, especially through non-invasive methods, could transform early diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Researchers call for further validation through larger studies to confirm these biomarkers’ efficacy and advance the development of accessible diagnostic tools.
