CANBERRA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Australia have identified a promising new biomarker and treatment target for ovarian cancer that could markedly improve the outlook for women diagnosed with this aggressive disease.

Scientists have discovered a cell surface receptor known as F2R, which could serve as both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target for treatment, according to a statement released Monday by the University of South Australia (UniSA).

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer worldwide, with poor survival rates largely due to late diagnosis. Each year, over 200,000 women die from ovarian cancer globally, and about 70 percent of cases are found only after the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries, it said.

F2R is frequently overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissues, especially in women who are resistant to chemotherapy and where the cancer has spread, said study lead researcher Hugo Albrecht from UniSA's Center for Pharmaceutical Innovation.

"Current biomarkers lack sensitivity and accuracy, leaving clinicians with few tools for early detection or to reliably predict treatment outcomes," Albrecht said, adding researchers believe that F2R could be a powerful candidate for both improving diagnosis and developing new personalized treatments that could target aggressive or drug-resistant cancers.

The research, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, analyzed large genomic datasets and confirmed elevated F2R levels in patient tumor samples using advanced imaging and tissue analysis.

Women with high levels of F2R had shorter life spans, underscoring its value as a prognostic indicator, researchers said.

Silencing F2R significantly reduced the ability of tumor cells to move, invade and form spheroids -- three key processes involved in cancer metastasis, and F2R drug suppression made the cancer cells more sensitive to carboplatin, a common chemotherapy drug, they said.

"By testing F2R, we could not only improve how we identify patients at risk of early recurrence or chemotherapy resistance but also design therapies that work more effectively alongside standard chemotherapy," co-author Carmela Ricciardelli from Australia's University of Adelaide said.

The researchers also said larger clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings, which opens new avenues for diagnostic tests and personalized treatments that could make a real difference to survival rates. ■