Ovarian Cancer: Molecular Classification and Targeted Therapy

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer among women with an overall 5-year survival rate below 50% due to its asymptomatic nature, diagnosis at advanced stages, and a high recurrence rate after standard therapy in 70% of cases. Ovarian cancers are heterogenous cancers where each subtype possesses a varied morphology and biologic behavior. Accumulating evidence has identified each of these subtypes characterized with specific pathways activated in each along with specific gene alterations. For example, high-grade serous ovarian cancer is characterized by universal TP53 mutation, mucinous ovarian cancer with KRAS mutation and clear cell or endometrioid ovarian cancers with ARID1A mutations. With the current focus of molecular-targeted therapies for cancer, such druggable markers serve as excellent targets for precision therapy and combination therapy. This chapter, provides an overview of the critical molecular pathways activated in the ovarian cancer subtypes with its druggable targets studied in ovarian cancer. We also highlight the implications of miRNAs in chemoresistance and sensitivity in the regulation of ovarian cancer.