Abstract: Ovarian cancer threatens women′s lives and health which is one of the three malignant tumors of reproductive tract, its younger trend obvious and mortality rate ranked first. It is a key point to reduce the mortality rate of the patients by improving the detectable rate of the ovarian cancer at early stage. However, the traditional ovarian tumor markers carbohydratｅ ａｎｔｉｇｅｎ １２５ （ＣＡ１２５） ｗｈｉｃｈ ｉｓ ａｐｐｌｉｅｄ ｗｉｄｅｌｙ， ｓｈｏｗｓ ａ ｌｏｗ ｓｅｎｓｉｔｉｖｉｔｙ ａｎｄ ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｉｔｙ ｉｎ ｏｖａｒｉａｎ ｃａｎｃｅｒ ａｎｄ ａｌｓｏ ａｐｐｅａｒｓ ｈｉｇｈ ｌｅｖｅｌ ｉｎ ｂｅｎｉｇｎ ｇｙｎｅｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌ ｄｉｓｅａｓｅｓ ｎｏｎｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃａｌｌｙ， ｔｈｅｒｅｆｏｒｅ， ａ ｈｉｇｈｅｒ ｓｅｎｓｉｔｉｖｉｔｙ ａｎｄ ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｉｔｙ ｄｅｔｅｃｔｉｏｎ ｉｎｄｅｘ ｉｓ ｎｅｅｄｅｄ ｕｒｇｅｎｔｌｙ． Ｉｎ ｒｅｃｅｎｔ ｙｅａｒｓ， ｔｈｅ ｓｅｒｕｍ ｍａｒｋｅｒ ｈｕｍａｎ ｅｐｉｄｉｄｙｍis ｐｒｏｔｅｉｎ ４ （ＨＥ４） ｈａｓ ｂｅｃｏｍｅ ｔｈｅ ｆｏｃｕｓ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｅａｒｌｙ ｄｉａｇｎｏｓｉｓ ｏｆ ｏｖａｒｉａｎ ｃａｎｃｅｒ． Ｃｏｍｐａｒｅｄ ｔｏ ＣＡ１２５， ＨＥ４ ｗｅｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｅｘｐｒｅｓｓｅｄ ｉｎ ｍｏｓｔ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｏｖａｒｉａｎ ｍａｌｉｇｎａｎｔ ｔｕｍｏｒ ｏｒ ｌｏｗ ｅｘｐｒｅｓｓｉｏｎ， ａｎｄ ｄｅｔｅｃｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ＨＥ４ ａｌｏｎｅ ｏｒ ｃｏｍｂｉｎｅｄ ＣＡ１２５ ｉｎ ｅａｒｌｙ ｄｉａｇｎｏｓｉｓ ｏｆ ｏｖａｒｉａｎ ｃａｎｃｅｒ， ｃｕｒａｔｉｖｅ ｅｆｆｅｃｔ ａｎｄ ｐｒｏｇｎｏｓｉｓ ｅｖａｌｕａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ａｎ ｅｄｇｅ． Ｎｏｗ ＨＥ４ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ａｐｐｌｉｅｄ ｉｎ ｆｏｒｅｉｇｎ ａｎｄ ｓｏｍｅ ｆｉｒｓｔ－ｃｌａｓｓ ｈｏｓｐｉｔａｌ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ． Ｔｈｉｓ ｐａｐｅｒ ｒｅｖｉｅｗｓ ｔｈｅ ｄｉｓｃｏｖｅｒｙ ｏｆ ＨＥ４， ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔ ａｎｄ ｃｌｉｎｉｃａｌ ａｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎ ａｎｄ ｏｖａｒｉａｎ ｍａｌｉｇｎａｎｔ ｔｕｍｏｒ ｗｉｔｈ ＣＡ１２５ ｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｓ ｔｈｅ ｒｉｓｋ of ovarian malignancy algorithm（ＲＯＭＡ）．

Key words: Ovarian neoplasm, CA-125 antigen, Human epididymis protein 4, Early diagnosis