May serum advanced oxidation protein products levels be diagnostic markers in endometrioma?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), calprotectin, and classical tumor markers (CA 125 and CA19-9) in distinguishing ovarian endometriomas from simple cysts and healthy controls, as well as to assess their predictive value for endometriomas. METHODS: In this prospective case-control study, a total of 133 women who underwent laparoscopic surgery for ovarian cystic lesions were divided into three groups: endometrioma (n = 51), simple ovarian cyst (n = 40), and control (n = 42). Serum levels of AOPP, calprotectin, CA 125, and CA19-9 were measured preoperatively. Group comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. Binary logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of endometrioma. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of each biomarker. RESULTS: Serum levels of AOPP, calprotectin, CA 125, and CA19-9 were significantly higher in the endometrioma group compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis identified AOPP (OR = 1.329; 95% CI: 1.142-1.545), CA 125 (OR = 1.024; 95% CI: 1.008-1.040), and calprotectin (OR = 1.007; 95% CI: 1.002-1.012) as independent predictors of endometrioma. Among all biomarkers, CA 125 demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.864), followed by AOPP (AUC = 0.732), CA19-9 (AUC = 0.721), and calprotectin (AUC = 0.693). CONCLUSION: Serum levels of AOPP, calprotectin, CA 125, and CA19-9 may serve as predictive biomarkers for endometrioma. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings and confirm the diagnostic utility of these biomarkers in clinical practice.