Molecular targeted therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the most common cause of mortality of tumors from gynecologic origin and is often diagnosed after patients have already progressed to advanced disease stage. The current standard of care for treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer includes cytoreductive surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. However, the development of resistance, disease recurrence and poor prognosis is still the most important problems. In spite of enhancements in tumor debulking surgery and combination regimens, the majority of patients with ovarian cancer not only experience adverse effects, but also eventually relapses. Therefore, additional therapeutic possibilities need to be explored to minimize adverse events and prolong progression-free survival and overall response rates in patients with ovarian cancer. Recent advances in the understanding of molecular mechanisms and genetics of epithelial ovarian cancer have led to the identification of new targets. In this review we focus on the molecular mechanisms and the clinical efficacy of molecular targeted therapy on epithelial ovarian cancer.