Clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCC) of the ovary accounts for 10% of epithelial ovarian cancer and is a distinct entity from other epithelial ovarian carcinomas. It arises from the endometriosis. CCC has specific biological and clinical behavior. Compared with other histological types, CCC shows a chemoresistant phenotype, which leads to poorer prognosis. Thus, development of new target-based therapies remains an unmet need for these patients. Mutations in the gene ARID1A have been found to occur in high frequency in CCC. The majority of these mutations lead to a loss of expression of the ARID1A protein, which is a subunit of the SWItch/Sucrose NonFermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex and considered as a bona fide tumor suppressor. Upregulation of the PIK3/AKT/mTOR pathway, particularly through mutations of PIK3CA and inactivation of PTEN, is involved in tumorigenesis of CCC. Targeting angiogenesis, the Met protooncogene pathway, and HER2 are also discussed in this review.
Keywords: ARID1A; HER2; Met protooncogene pathway; PIK3/AKT/mTOR pathway; angiogenesis.