Tumor biomarkers contribute to the diagnosis and clinical management of the O-RADS MRI risk stratification system for epithelial ovarian tumors

Background: To assess the effectiveness of tumor biomarkers in distinguishing epithelial ovarian tumors (EOTs) and guiding clinical decisions across each Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) MRI risk category, the aim is to prevent unnecessary surgeries for benign lesions, avoid delays in treating malignancies, and benefit individuals requiring fertility preservation or those intolerant to over-extensive surgery.

Methods: A total of 54 benign, 104 borderline, and 203 malignant EOTs (BeEOTs, BEOTs and MEOTs) were enrolled and retrospectively assigned risk scores. The role of tumor biomarkers in diagnosing and managing EOTs within each risk category was evaluated by combining receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves with clinicopathological characteristics.

Results: A score of 3 was assigned to 66.67% of BeEOTs, 50.96% of BEOTs, and 13.80% of MEOTs, whereas cancer antigen 125 (CA125) ≥ 60.39 U/ml helped identify MEOTs with a low-risk time-intensity curve (TIC) for prompt surgical assessment. Only 3.7% of the BeEOTs were classified as O-RADS MRI 4/5, whereas 48.08% and 86.2% of the BEOTs and MEOTs were classified, respectively. Overall, EOTs with a score of 4/5 are candidates for semi-elective surgery owing to the low probability of benign lesions. For EOTs with a ROMA index less than 20.14% (premenopausal) or 29.9% (postmenopausal), minimally invasive surgery is recommended for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Comprehensive staging or cytoreductive surgery is recommended for the remaining patients, especially when fertility preservation is not a priority.

Conclusions: The O-RADS MRI primarily differentiates BeEOTs with risk scores of 2/4/5 from BEOTs/MEOTs, while tumor biomarkers further enhance the diagnosis and clinical management of EOTs with scores of 3/4/5. Future studies should focus on multi-center, prospective studies with larger sample sizes to validate and refine the integration of O-RADS MRI with tumor biomarkers.