open access

Vol 65, No 4 (2006)
Review article
Submitted: 2012-02-06
Published online: 2006-09-18
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Prediction of the response to chemotherapy in ovarian cancers

Surowiak P
Folia Morphol 2006;65(4):285-294.

open access

Vol 65, No 4 (2006)
REVIEW ARTICLES
Submitted: 2012-02-06
Published online: 2006-09-18

Abstract

Ovarian cancer represents the fifth most frequent cause of death as a result of malignant processes after cancers of the breast, large intestine, lung and stomach. Owing to the localisation of ovarian cancer, approximately 75% of cases are diagnosed at the III and IV stages of advancement according to FIGO. Because of the advanced stage of the disease surgery has to be followed by chemotherapy in most cases of ovarian cancer and therefore resistance to cytostatic drugs represents a major clinical problem. The potential to predict the response to therapy with the use of cytostatic drugs would enable the most effective drugs to be applied in individual cases, thus improving the efficiency of the treatment and restricting the development of resistance to cytostatic drugs. In the present paper the progress made so far in the prediction of the clinical course of ovarian cancer is reviewed. The significance of the expression of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is described, including P-glycoprotein and MRP2, the principal representatives of the protein group. The importance of disturbed control of apoptosis and the overexpression of HER-2 and topoisomerase 1A are also discussed. Two sections are devoted to the most recent studies in the biology of ovarian cancer, pangenomic studies on gene expression using DNA microarrays and aberrations of DNA methylation.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer represents the fifth most frequent cause of death as a result of malignant processes after cancers of the breast, large intestine, lung and stomach. Owing to the localisation of ovarian cancer, approximately 75% of cases are diagnosed at the III and IV stages of advancement according to FIGO. Because of the advanced stage of the disease surgery has to be followed by chemotherapy in most cases of ovarian cancer and therefore resistance to cytostatic drugs represents a major clinical problem. The potential to predict the response to therapy with the use of cytostatic drugs would enable the most effective drugs to be applied in individual cases, thus improving the efficiency of the treatment and restricting the development of resistance to cytostatic drugs. In the present paper the progress made so far in the prediction of the clinical course of ovarian cancer is reviewed. The significance of the expression of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is described, including P-glycoprotein and MRP2, the principal representatives of the protein group. The importance of disturbed control of apoptosis and the overexpression of HER-2 and topoisomerase 1A are also discussed. Two sections are devoted to the most recent studies in the biology of ovarian cancer, pangenomic studies on gene expression using DNA microarrays and aberrations of DNA methylation.
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Keywords

ovarian cancer; chemotherapy; prediction; multidrug resistance

About this article
Title

Prediction of the response to chemotherapy in ovarian cancers

Journal

Folia Morphologica

Issue

Vol 65, No 4 (2006)

Article type

Review article

Pages

285-294

Published online

2006-09-18

Page views

500

Article views/downloads

1162

Bibliographic record

Folia Morphol 2006;65(4):285-294.

Keywords

ovarian cancer
chemotherapy
prediction
multidrug resistance

Authors

Surowiak P

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