Identification of a novel gene signature predicting response to first-line chemotherapy in BRCA wild-type high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients

Abstract Background High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) has poor survival rates due to a combination of diagnosis at advanced stage and disease recurrence as a result of chemotherapy resistance. In BRCA1 (Breast Cancer gene 1) - or BRCA2-wild type (BRCAwt) HGSOC patients, resistance and progressive disease occur earlier and more often than in mutated BRCA. Identification of biomarkers helpful in predicting response to first-line chemotherapy is a challenge to improve BRCAwt HGSOC management. Methods To identify a gene signature that can predict response to first-line chemotherapy, pre-treatment tumor biopsies from a restricted cohort of BRCAwt HGSOC patients were profiled by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology. Patients were sub-grouped according to platinum-free interval (PFI), into sensitive (PFI > 12 months) and resistant (PFI