To investigate a possible correlation between expression levels of heat shock protein 20 (HSP20) and tumor progression in patients with ovarian cancer.

The study included 34 patients with ovarian cancer who were to undergo surgery, seven patients with ovarian carcinoid tumors, and five patients with normal ovaries as a control group. Ovarian tissues were obtained from patients by surgical resection and then analyzed by western blot.

Expression levels of HSP20 were inversely correlated with the grade of malignancy.

The present findings suggest that HSP20 may play a protective role against the progression of ovarian cancer. Thus, HSP20 may represent a new target for the prediction and treatment of ovarian cancer.