Objective To explore the expressions of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), AT-rich binding domain 1A gene (ARID1A) and circadian locomotor output cycles protein kaput (CLOCK) in patients with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC), and to analyze the values of PTEN, ARID1A and CLOCK in predicting the risk of EAOC.

Methods Materials of 30 patients with EAOC in the authors' hospital from March 2016 to March 2020 were retrospectively collected, and they were set as EAOC group; the materials of 30 single endometriosis (EMS) patients without EAOC in the same period were collected, and they were set as non-EAOC group. Expressions of PTEN, ARID1A and CLOCK on hospital admission in the pathological tissues were compared between the two groups, and the relationships between the above indicators and the occurrence of EAOC were analyzed.

Results Compared with the non-EAOC group, the relative expression levels of protein and gene of PTEN and ARID1A in cancer tissues in the EAOC group were significantly lower, while the relative expression levels of protein and gene of CLOCK were significantly higher (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that abnormal expressions of PTEN, ARID1A and CLOCK genes may be related to the occurrence of EAOC, in which PTEN and ARID1A were protective factors for the occurrence of EAOC, and CLOCK was a risk factor promoting the occurrence of EAOC (OR>1, P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of PTEN, ARID1A, CLOCK alone and their combination in cancer tissues in predicting the occurrence of EAOC were 0.856, 0.860, 0.870 and 0.931, respectively.

Conclusion There are significant differences in the expressions of PTEN, ARID1A and CLOCK between pathological tissues of single EMS without EAOC and EAOC; PTEN, ARID1A and CLOCK may be involved in the occurrence of EAOC; detections of PTEN, ARID1A and CLOCK in the pathological tissues are helpful for clinical diagnosis of EAOC, and the combined detection of the three indexes shows the highest diagnostic value.