Objective  To investigate the correlation between serum high temperature requirement protease A3 (HtrA3) expression and clinicopathological features of patients with ovarian cancer.

  Methods  A total of 100 patients with ovarian cancer were selected, the clinicopathological characteristics of patients were observed according to the results of surgical pathology, the expressions of serum HtrA3 of patients were detected on the day of admission, the relationship between serum HtrA3 expression and clinicopathological features of patients with ovarian cancer was analyzed.

  Results  Among the 100 patients, 52 were high-grade and 48 were low-grade of pathological grading, 58 cases had tumor cell metastasis and diffusion. A total of 17 cases were in stage Ⅰ, 28 cases were in stage Ⅱ, 55 cases were in stage Ⅲ of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging; the expressions of serum HtrA3 in patients with tumor cell metastasis and diffusion, stage Ⅲ and high-grade were lower than those with no tumor cell metastasis and diffusion, stage Ⅰ to Ⅱ, and low-grade, the expressions of CA125 were higher than those in patients without metastasis, diffusion, stage Ⅰ to Ⅱ and low-grade (P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in serum HtrA3 and CA125 expression level among patients with different pathological types, age and tumor size (P>0.05). Multiple Logistic regression analysis results showed that the high expression of serum CA125 in patients with ovarian cancer on the day of admission was a risk factor for tumor cell metastasis and diffusion, high FIGO stage and high-grade (OR>1, P < 0.05); high expression of serum HtrA3 was a protective factor for the metastasis and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, high FIGO stage and high-grade in patients with ovarian cancer (OR < 1, P < 0.05). The receiver operating curve (ROC) showed that the AUCs of serum HtrA3 expression on the day of admission in predicting the risk of metastasis, proliferation, high FIGO stage and high-grade in patients with ovarian cancer were all above 0.70.

  Conclusion  There is a certain relationship between the expression of serum HtrA3 and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with ovarian cancer.