The clinicopathological and molecular characterization in ascites-derived paraffin-embedded cell blocks of ovarian cancer

Abstract

Abstract This study evaluated immunohistochemical (IHC) markers and homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene mutations in 58 ovarian cancer patients using ascites-derived paraffin-embedded cell blocks. IHC analysis revealed high expression of Pax-8 (87.5–100%), WT-1 (87.8–90%), CA-125 (100%), and CK7 (100%) across subtypes, supporting their diagnostic utility. HRR gene mutations were detected in 77.6% of cases, with TP53 (55%) and PIK3CA (21.7%) as the most frequent alterations. Nine BRCA1/2 mutations were identified. PIK3CA variants included E545K (28.6%) and E542K (28.6%), suggesting potential therapeutic targets. These findings highlight the clinical relevance of ascites cell blocks for molecular profiling, with HRR status guiding PARP inhibitor therapy and PIK3CA mutations indicating PI3K/AKT pathway inhibition. This approach may optimize personalized treatment strategies for advanced ovarian cancer.