Doppel as an early-stage biomarker promoting EMT and dissemination in ovarian cancers.

ABSTRACT: Detecting ovarian cancer (OC) early using existing biomarkers, for example, cancer antigen 125 (CA125), is challenging due to its ubiquitous expression in many tissues. Doppel, a prion-like protein, expresses in the male reproductive organ but is absent in female reproductive systems and healthy tissues, but plays an important role in neo-angiogenesis. Here, we have shown two platforms, soluble Doppel in sera/ascites and Doppel expressed in circulating tumor cells (^Dpl+CTC) in the whole blood, to detect subsets of epithelial OC (EOC). Increased levels of Doppel in the sera of OC patients, in three different cohorts, confirm Doppel as an OC-specific biomarker. Serum Doppel levels can distinguish OC with high sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity = 0.91 and specificity = 0.89)

SUBMITTER: Azam Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12811216 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature