Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum IgG antibodies to C. trachomatis major outer membrane protein (MOMP), iron-binding periplasmic protein TroA, and high temperature requirement protein (HtrA), and the occurrence of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs). Patients and Methods: The study included patients admitted to Oulu University Hospital due to suspicion of ovarian tumor between March 2008 and May 2018. Serum IgG antibody responses to recombinant C. trachomatis TroA, HtrA, and MOMP were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunoassay. Oulu University Hospital medical records were obtained and reviewed. Furthermore, we assessed median carbohydrate antigen 125 levels across different C. trachomatis serology groups in patients with benign, BOTs, and EOCs. Results: The final study cohort consisted of 210 patients diagnosed with EOC, 46 with BOTs, and 175 with benign ovarian tumors. Among the 210 EOC cases, 40 occurred in C. trachomatis-seropositive patients. Of the 46 BOTs, 13 were found in the C. trachomatis-seropositive group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that C. trachomatis TroA IgG seropositivity was not associated with an increased risk of EOC (odds ratio=1.37, 95% confidence interval=0.72-2.70) but was linked to a significantly higher risk of BOTs (odds ratio=2.51, 95% confidence interval=1.02-5.98). In patients with BOTs, the median carbohydrate antigen 125 level was higher in the C. trachomatis-seropositive group than in the seronegative one (173 vs. 55 kU/l). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the presence of serum IgG antibodies against C. trachomatis TroA is associated with an increased risk of BOT. No association was observed between positivity for any chlamydial immunological marker and EOC risk.
TÖRMÄNEN et al. (Wed,) studied this question.