Ovarian cancer constitutes the 2nd most frequent aggressive disease of the female reproductive genital organs which occur with rising incidence with advancing age of the patients. Due to the lack of markers for an early detection, tumors are frequently diagnosed at late stages. Therefore ovarian cancer has a high mortality rate: in Europe 65,000 new cases were diagnosed, 45,000 deaths were estimated for 2012. A safe and convenient screening test could contribute significantly to a decrease in the morbidity and mortality of the disease.

For the development of tests for ovarian cancer diagnostics Oncgnostics Jena currently validates corresponding DNA methylation markers identified through genome-wide screening. For applications in ovarian cancer screening they aim at the detection of markers in blood serum. This may allow the application of tests without invasive steps for obtaining a diagnostic sample, which may lead to a high acceptance of such tests.

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