Targeting cervical cancer: Is there a role for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition?

J Cell Physiol. 2020 Jun;235(6):5050-5058. doi: 10.1002/jcp.29440. Epub 2020 Jan 8.

Abstract

Patients with metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer (CC) have a poor prognosis with limited palliative treatment options. Increasing understanding of the cellular aberrations inherent to cancer cells has allowed the development of therapies to target biological pathways, an important step toward the individualization of cancer therapy. The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes is important in several DNA repair pathways. Drugs that inhibit these PARP enzymes have been investigated in many types of cancer and their application in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies has rapidly evolved. Although the majority of data for PARPi in gynecologic malignancies has been specifically regarding ovarian cancer, their role in the treatment of uterine and CC is currently being investigated. This review will examine PARP inhibitors in CC, summarizes the critical clinical trials of PARP inhibitors that have been completed, provides an overview of the on-going trials, presents the confirmed conclusions and notes the issues that need to be addressed in future studies.

Keywords: Parp inhibitors; cervical cancer; gynecological cancer; intraepithelial cervical lesion; niraparib; olaparib; rucaparib; veliparib.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Diphosphate / genetics
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / genetics*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / genetics
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors
  • Adenosine Diphosphate
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases