Beyond chemotherapy: targeted therapies in ovarian cancer

Nat Rev Cancer. 2009 Mar;9(3):167-81. doi: 10.1038/nrc2583.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancies in the Western world. Despite the evolution of surgical techniques and meticulously designed chemotherapy regimens, relapse remains almost inevitable in patients with advanced disease. In an age when great advances have been made in understanding the genetics and molecular biology of this heterogeneous disease, it is likely that the introduction of novel targeted therapies will have a major impact on the management of ovarian cancer. Importantly, such strategies might allow selection of treatments based on the molecular characteristics of tumours and bring us closer to an era of personalized medicine.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00429793 NCT00523432 NCT00610714 NCT00628251 NCT00753545.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Carrier Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • ErbB Receptors / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Female
  • Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored
  • Humans
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors
  • Protein Kinases / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / drug effects
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Protein Kinases
  • MTOR protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
  • Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00429793
  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00523432
  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00610714
  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00628251
  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00753545