Mechanisms of Ovarian Cancer Metastasis: Biochemical Pathways

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the five-year survival rate of advanced ovarian cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis remains around 30%. The most significant prognostic factor is stage, and most patients present at an advanced stage w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kohji Miyazaki, Naomi Nakayama, Kentaro Nakayama, Hiroshi Katagiri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2012-09-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:
EMT
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/13/9/11705
Description
Summary:Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the five-year survival rate of advanced ovarian cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis remains around 30%. The most significant prognostic factor is stage, and most patients present at an advanced stage with peritoneal dissemination. There is often no clearly identifiable precursor lesion; therefore, the events leading to metastatic disease are poorly understood. This article reviews metastatic suppressor genes, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the tumor microenvironment as they relate to ovarian cancer metastasis. Additionally, novel chemotherapeutic agents targeting the metastasis-related biochemical pathways are discussed.
ISSN:1422-0067