Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown that circRNAs participate in ovarian cancer progression and act as potential biomarkers for ovarian cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern and prognostic significance of circ_0078607 in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). METHODS: The expression of circ_0078607 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in 49 cases of HGSOC. Clinical data of patients with HGSOC were retrospectively collected, and those patients were divided according to their expression of circ_0078607. Correlation between circ_0078607 and clinical features as well as the prognosis in patients with HGSOC was analyzed. t-test and chi-square test were used to compare continuous and categorical variables. The Cox hazard regression model was used to assess prognostic factors. Both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) curves were generated by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The expression of circ_0078607 was significantly downregulated in ovarian cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Besides, patients with low circ_0078607 expression exhibited parameters associated with poor prognosis, including advanced FIGO stage and higher serum CA125 level. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that patients with low circ_0078607 expression had shorter PFS and OS. Cox regression analysis showed that low expression of circ_0078607 was a predictor for poor PFS and OS in HGSOC patients. CONCLUSION: Low expression of circ_0078607 might be an adverse prognostic indicator for HGSOC.