Biomarker Discovery Project in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (BioDIVA)

Aim/goals:

1. Define differences in the genomic and immune signature of patients with HGSOC at different time points, and analyze its correlation with outcome in terms of progression free survival and overall survival, particularly comparing patient with short term (1-2 years) versus long term (5-10 years) survival, and correlation to response or resistance to a specific treatment.
2. To define biomarkers that correlate with prognosis (prognostic biomarkers).
3. To define biomarkers that may predict response or resistance to treatment (predictive biomarkers).

Summary:

The most prevalent and deadly type of ovarian cancer is high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). HGSOC patients frequently react well to treatment at first, but the disease recurs in the majority of instances, becoming more aggressive and difficult to cure. Several studies have been conducted to better understand the various components that drive disease biology, but the majority of them have focused on one or more events. To build a more tailored treatment strategy, a more comprehensive approach is required to understand the complete disease spectrum. The prospective Ontario-wide Biomarker Discovery Trial (BioDiva) is the first-of-its-kind provincial effort to comprehensively study and understand the underlying biology of women diagnosed with HGSOC, beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing throughout the disease course. Changes in genes such as TP53, BRCA1 and BRCA2 are commonly seen in patients with HGSOC. Drugs like PARP inhibitors can target some of these genetic alterations. Targeted treatments, on the other hand, can fail after a while due to the emergence of new genetic events that lead to resistance. As a result, it's critical to understand how these driving events change over time by evaluating tissue, blood, and fluid samples collected throughout the disease's course and comparing them to disease outcomes. The BioDIVA study aims to collect tissue from women with HGSOC at various stages of their journey, beginning with diagnosis. These biospecimens are evaluated to establish what is causing their cancer, with molecular or immunological information made available in real time to patients and their doctors. This vital information can aid physicians in mapping the shifting terrain of these tumors in real time and customizing treatment in a more individualized manner. The combined efforts of eight separate facilities in Ontario have resulted in the rapid acquisition of a large biorepository that will help researchers understand the disease's evolution and maybe influence treatment.