The use of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) scores in predicting the prognosis of ovarian cancer

Objective: Predicting the early recurrence rate is important in improving the treatment and prognosis of ovarian cancer (OC). A homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score serves as a prognostic factor in OC. Whether the HRD score can be used as a new marker for OC prognosis must be further explored. Methods: : 69 patients with OC were enrolled in the study. We performed retrospective HRD genetic tests to obtain their HRD scores. The correlation test for tumor recurrence was performed using the Kaplan-Meier test and a Cox risk regression analysis. Results: : No significant difference was found between the HRD score and the recurrence rate at the 1-year and full-time follow-up, rate of platinum-resistant recurrence. However, we demonstrated a strong association between the HRD score and hemoglobin (Hb) levels ( P =0.004). Interestingly, Hb levels before initial cancer treatment ( P =0.046) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) ( P =0.040) displayed independent influences on the 1-year recurrence rate. The 1-year recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients with low Hb levels (≤107 g/L) than in patients with high Hb levels (>107 g/L). Besides, it was significantly higher in patients who underwent NACT (based on high Suidan scores) than in patients who did not. Moreover, recurrence curves showed a significant association between NACT and the 1-year recurrence rate. Conclusions: : For non-maintenance-treated patients, there is insufficient evidence that the HRD score can be used as a marker of short-term prognosis in OC. Hb levels and Suidan scores are expected to be new markers for predicting the 1-year recurrence rate in OC.