Human epididymis protein 4

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Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is an emerging serum biomarker in the assessment of epithelial ovarian tumors. HE4 is a member of the whey associated protein (WAP) gene cluster and has uncertain biological function .

Early results indicate that HE4 has higher sensitivity and specificity than CA-125 in distinguishing malignant from benign ovarian disease in premenopausal women . HE4 has a high predictive value in ruling out invasive cancers in postmenopausal women with normal CA-125 .

Elevated serum HE4 levels have been associated with a more aggressive epithelial ovarian carcinoma phenotype .