Title:Advances in Ovarian Cancer Treatment Beyond PARP Inhibitors
Volume: 23
Issue: 6
Author(s): Fine Aliyuda, Michele Moschetta, Aruni Ghose, Kathrine Sofia Rallis, Matin Sheriff, Elisabet Sanchez, Elie Rassy and Stergios Boussios*
Affiliation:
- Department of Medical Oncology, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Gillingham, Kent, UK
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London,
UK
- AELIA Organization, 9th Km Thessaloniki - Thermi, Thessaloniki, 57001, Greece
Keywords:
Ovarian cancer, angiogenesis inhibitors, EGFR inhibitors, PI3K inhibitors, AKT inhibitors, miRNA-related targets.
Abstract: Ovarian cancer has become the largest cause of gynaecological cancer-related mortality. It
is typically diagnosed at a late stage and has no effective screening strategy. Ovarian cancer is a highly
heterogeneous disease that can be subdivided into several molecular subsets. As a result of a greater
understanding of molecular pathways involved in carcinogenesis and tumor growth, targeted agents
have been approved or are in several stages of development. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
inhibitors and the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A antibodies are two types of approved
and most effective targeted drugs for ovarian cancer at present. With the success of bevacizumab,
tyrosine kinase inhibitors which could target alternate angiogenic pathways are being studied.
Furthermore, many treatments targeting the PI3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin
(mTOR) pathways, are being developed or are already in clinical studies. MicroRNAs have also become
novel biomarkers for the therapy and clinical diagnosis of ovarian cancer. This manuscript reviews
the molecular, preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the targeting of growth-dependent
pathways in ovarian cancer and assesses current data related to targeted treatments beyond PARP inhibitors.