Lou E, et al. - Given that no biomarkers of ovarian carcinoma chemoresistance have been validated and nearly 25% of patients with ovarian carcinoma are resistant to platinum chemotherapy, researchers wanted to find tumor-based predictive biomarkers of platinum resistance. For this prospective study, tumor specimens were obtained from 29 women (average age was 64 years) with newly diagnosed histopathologically proven primary ovarian carcinoma. Tumor slices were stained with antibodies against two microRNAs (miRNAs 29b and 199a) expressed differently in chemoresistant cell lines of ovarian cancer. The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) was assessed in blood samples taken at the time of diagnosis. Among platinum-resistant/refractory vs platinum-sensitive tumors, expression of miR29b and 199a did not differ significantly, nor were there statistically significant differences in baseline CTCs among women with newly diagnosed ovarian tumors.