Consensus Statement from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada on Folate Receptor α Testing in Ovarian Cancer

Sep 22, 2026

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Folate receptor alpha (FRα) is a clinically actionable biomarker widely expressed in epithelial ovarian cancers and is linked to benefit from mirvetuximab soravtansine. The Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada convened a multidisciplinary Expert Panel to review evidence and synthesize Canadian clinical, pathology, laboratory, and patient perspectives. The consensus recommendations cover clinical role and timing of FRα testing, tissue needs, assay selection and validation, interpretation and reporting, quality assurance, reimbursement, and equitable access.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

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Guidelines Consensus Statement from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada on Folate Receptor α Testing in Ovarian Cancer Kim Ma 1,2,*, Basile Tessier-Cloutier 2, Alon D. Altman 3, Mark S. Carey 4, Josee-Lyne Ethier 5, Susie Lau 1,6, Cheng-Han Lee 7, Laura Hopkins 8, Katharina Kieser 9, Aalok Kumar 10, Shuk On Annie Leung 11, Julie M. V. Nguyen 12, Helen MacKay 5, Jacob McGee 13, Lina Salman 13, Shannon Salvador 1, Cidalia Sluce 14, Luiza Tatar 11, Alicia A. Tone 15, Anna Tinker 4, Elizabeth Tremblay 16,17, Ana C. Veneziani 18, Danielle Vicus 19, Stephen Welch 5, Sharon Windsor Harker 20 and Melica Nourmoussavi Brodeur 1,2, * Received: 4 April 2026 Revised: 18 May 2026 Accepted: 27 May 2026 Published: 1 June 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada 2 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada 3 Max Rady College of Medicine, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, WN50014—Women’s Hospital, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9, Canada; aaltman@cancercare.mb.ca 4 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Vancouver Coastal Health; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada; mark.carey@vch.ca (M.S.C.) 5 Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada 6 Segal Cancer Centre, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Institute of Medical Research, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada 7 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada 8 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Saskatoon Cancer Centre, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B8, Canada 9 Division of Gynaecologic Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 1V7, Canada; [kkieser@dal.ca](kkieser@dal.ca) [10](10 BC Cancer-Surrey)[ BC Cancer-Surrey](10 BC Cancer-Surrey), [University of British Columbia](University of British Columbia), [Vancouver](Vancouver), [BC V3V 1Z2](BC V3V 1Z2), [Canada](Canada) 11 McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada; [annie.leung@mcgill.ca](annie.leung@mcgill.ca) (S.O.A.L.) 12 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada 13 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, London Health Sciences Centre and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada 14 Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada, Ottawa, ON K1H 8K3, Canada 15 Ovarian Cancer Canada, Toronto, ON M2P 2A9, Canada; [atone@ovariancanada.org](atone@ovariancanada.org) 16 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada 17 Département d’obstétrique et gynécologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada 18 Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada; [ana.veneziani@uhn.ca](ana.veneziani@uhn.ca) 19 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1E2, Canada 20 Windsor Medical Communications, Inc., Hamilton, ON L8N 1Z6, Canada; sharon@windsormedical.ca * Correspondence: [kim.ma.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca](kim.ma.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca) (K.M.); melica.brodeur@mcgill.ca (M.N.B.) Simple Summary Folate receptor alpha (FRα) is a protein that is found in large amounts on the surface of most epithelial ovarian cancer cells. FRα has become an important target for treatment by specifically seeking out and binding to cancer cells. Clinical trials for a recently approved medication, m

FAQs

What is Folate receptor alpha (FRα) and why is it important in epithelial ovarian cancer?

FRα is a protein expressed on many epithelial ovarian cancer cells and serves as a clinically actionable biomarker. High FRα levels predict benefit from mirvetuximab soravtansine, making FRα testing critical for treatment guidance.

How were the consensus recommendations developed?

The Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada convened a multidisciplinary Expert Panel. Recommendations were formed through structured evidence review, expert discussions, iterative revisions, and patient partner input.

What do the recommendations require for FRα testing and results access?

FRα testing should be available to all patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, with results no later than platinum-resistant disease. Testing should use a validated assay, such as the Ventana FOLR1 RxDx assay or an appropriately validated laboratory-developed test.

Sep 22, 2026

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