Paradigm Shift: A Comprehensive Review of Ovarian Cancer Management in an Era of Advancements

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2024

Authors

Tavares, V (Author) Other; Marques, IS (Author) Other; de Melo, IG (Author) Other; Assis, J (Author) Other; Pereira, D (Author) Other; Rui Medeiros (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: International Journal Of Molecular Sciences

Vol. 25

Final page: 1845

ISSN: 1661-6596

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00Z-ZVR

DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031845

Abstract (EN): Ovarian cancer (OC) is the female genital malignancy with the highest lethality. Patients present a poor prognosis mainly due to the late clinical presentation allied with the common acquisition of chemoresistance and a high rate of tumour recurrence. Effective screening, accurate diagnosis, and personalised multidisciplinary treatments are crucial for improving patients' survival and quality of life. This comprehensive narrative review aims to describe the current knowledge on the aetiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of OC, highlighting the latest significant advancements and future directions. Traditionally, OC treatment involves the combination of cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. Although more therapeutical approaches have been developed, the lack of established predictive biomarkers to guide disease management has led to only marginal improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) while patients face an increasing level of toxicity. Fortunately, because of a better overall understanding of ovarian tumourigenesis and advancements in the disease's (epi)genetic and molecular profiling, a paradigm shift has emerged with the identification of new disease biomarkers and the proposal of targeted therapeutic approaches to postpone disease recurrence and decrease side effects, while increasing patients' survival. Despite this progress, several challenges in disease management, including disease heterogeneity and drug resistance, still need to be overcome.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 28