Detect

Early detection of cancers can help to significantly improve prognosis of patients and reduce mortality. This is particularly pronounced for cancers that, despite advances in diagnostic procedures, are still only detected late, such as ovarian cancers. This type of cancer is often detected at advanced stages and as a result has a five-year survival rate of less than 40%.

Additionally, other cancer types, such as breast cancer, may be subject to “overdiagnosis” (i.e., identification of cancers, which will never develop malignancy and thus are not clinically relevant).

Previous work carried out during the EpiFemCare project, has contributed to more sensitive and early detection modalities for these two cancer types. We are now in the process of exploring the potential of cell-free DNA methylation to detect breast and ovarian cancers in women with a BRCA mutation, and in the general population, at an earlier stage.

EpiFemCare

By assessing methylation in prospectively collected samples, we were able to develop a tool for early blood-based detection of ovarian cancer, which was highly specific and may have the potential to detect a proportion of ovarian cancers up to two years in advance of diagnosis.

Identifying more sensitive and specific blood-based bioassays for the detection of ovarian and breast cancer

The EpiFemCare project was a European Commission funded programme running from November 2012 to April 2016 with the aim of identifying more sensitive and specific blood-based bioassays for the detection of ovarian and breast cancer. We employed the epigenome as a stable target molecule reflective of the disease.

Prof Martin Widschwendter was the Coordinator and Principal Investigator of the EpiFemCare project and led an international consortium comprising clinicians, academics, and small- to medium enterprises (SMEs). By assessing methylation in prospectively collected samples, we were able to develop a tool for early blood-based detection of ovarian cancer, which was highly specific and may have the potential to detect a proportion of ovarian cancers up to two years in advance of diagnosis.

This project received funding from the European Union’s Framework Programme 7 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 305438.

Vision 2040

To make women's cancer a disease of the past by 2040.