Aim: Since reliable response predictors to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer (OC) are scarce, we characterize NCALD as a predictive biomarker. Materials & methods: NCALD mRNA (n = 100) and protein (n = 102) expression was analyzed in OC samples and associated with patient outcome. A stable OC cell line knockdown was generated and cellular response to platinum was explored. Results: High NCALD mRNA and protein expression was significantly associated with longer overall patient survival (p = 0.037/0.002). Knockdown experiments revealed a significant association between cisplatin sensitivity and NCALD expression. Conclusion: Low NCALD expression was associated with reduced sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy. NCALD may be a new biomarker candidate to identify patients who might benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy.
Keywords: NCALD; ovarian cancer; platinum; platinum sensitivity; predictive biomarker; prognosis.