Detection of TP53 Clonal Variants in Papanicolaou Test Samples Collected up to 6 Years Prior to High-Grade Serous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
The cervical or Pap smear was first described in 1928; the ability to detect pre-cancerous change revolutionized the management of cervical cancer preventing millions of deaths. Now DNA testing of Pap smear cells is being promoted as an aid to early diagnosis for ovarian cancer.
High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (HGSOC) is highly lethal, especially because it presents late. Most HGSOC develops first in the Fallopian tube. A DNA sequence; TP53 clone is a marker for cancer and the precursor.
This small study of 17 women with HGSOC looked at Pap smears obtained on presentation and in the years prior to diagnosis. 64% (11) of these patients showed the TP53 clone at presentation. 2 of these women had serial Pap smears prior to diagnosis; the clonal marker was present on all the smears, in one case up to 68 months prior to diagnosis.
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