The value of mesothelin in the diagnosis and follow-up of surgically treated ovarian cancer

To assess the value of serum mesothelin concentration for diagnosis of ovarian cancer and for monitoring the therapeutic effect of surgical treatment. The study consisted of 42 patients with ovarian cancer undergoing surgery, 48 with benign ovarian tumors, and 49 healthy controls. Blood was drawn pre-operatively and one month post-operatively to test serum mesothelin levels. Mesothelin values were higher in the ovarian cancer group compared to controls and higher preoperatively vs post-operatively in the ovarian cancer group. For the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, the positive predictive value of serum mesothelin was 80.5%, the negative predictive value was 81.6%, sensitivity was 78.6%, and specificity was 83.3%. Serum mesothelin is increased in ovarian cancer, has high-specificity, and can be used in the pre-operative diagnostic evaluation for ovarian cancer.