Chemotherapy resistance in epithelial ovarian cancer: Mechanisms and emerging treatments

Semin Cancer Biol. 2021 Dec:77:144-166. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.08.011. Epub 2021 Aug 28.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains a fatal malignancy because most patients experience recurrent disease, which is resistant to chemotherapy. The outcomes for patients with platinum-resistant OC are poor, response rates to further chemotherapy are low and median survival is lower than 12 months. The complexity of platinum-resistant OC, which comprises a heterogeneous spectrum of diseases, is indeed far from being completely understood. Therefore, comprehending tumors' biological behaviour to identify reliable biomarkers, which may predict responses to therapies, is a demanding challenge to improve OC management. In the age of precision medicine, efforts to overcome platinum resistance in OC represent a dynamic and vast field in which innovative drugs and clinical trials rapidly develop. This review will present the exceptional biochemical environment implicated in OC and highlights mechanisms of chemoresistance. Furthermore, innovative molecules and new therapeutic opportunities are presented, along with currently available therapies and ongoing clinical trials.

Keywords: Innovative drugs; Ovarian cancer; Platinum resistance; Predictive biomarkers.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers, Tumor*
  • Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial* / drug therapy
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm* / drug effects
  • Female
  • Humans

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor