HE4 as a predictor of adjuvant chemotherapy resistance and survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the value of serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and HE4 tissue protein expression to predict tumor resistance to adjuvant chemotherapy, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Consecutive inclusion of 198 patients diagnosed with EOC was conducted. Blood samples were collected prior to surgery and tissue samples during surgery. Patient data were registered prospectively in the Danish Gynecologic Cancer Database. The association between serum HE4 and HE4 tissue protein expression, resistance to adjuvant chemotherapy, PFS, and overall survival were analyzed in univariate analyses and in multivariate analyses adjusted for age, performance score, surgical outcome, stage, grade, and histological subtype. Serum HE4 levels predicted chemotherapy resistance, PFS, and overall survival correlated significantly (p < 0.001) in the univariate analyses; but after adjustment in a multivariate model, serum HE4 was insignificant, except in a subgroup analysis of postmenopausal women, where serum HE4 significantly predicted resistance to chemotherapy and progression-free survival. HE4 tissue protein expression predicted PFS (p = 0.022) and overall survival (p = 0.047) in the univariate analysis, while HE4 tissue protein expression failed to predict these outcomes in the adjusted multivariate analyses. Serum HE4 or HE4 tissue protein expression are not independent factors of chemotherapy resistance or survival in patients with EOC, but serum HE4 might predict chemotherapy resistance and PFS in postmenopausal women.