Pathogenesis and New Therapeutic Targets of Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, largely due to the lack of early detection tools and effective therapeutic interventions. Anti-tumor agents targeting critical molecular pathways hold promise for improving survival in these patients and understanding the critical molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer development is central to the development of such agents. For example, using genome-wide DNA copy number analysis, investigators have identified amplification in a genomic locus (ch11q13.5) harboring a chromatin remodeling gene, RSF1, encoding Rsf-1 in high-grade ovarian serous carcinomas. Recent studies have shown that excessive Rsf-1 expression attributes to genomic instability and alters gene expression profiles to favor tumor growth and survival, especially in the presence of cytotoxic agents. The article entitled “DNA damage response is prominent in ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas, especially those with Rsf-1 (HBXAP) overexpression” reported by M. Kushirsagar et al. in this special issue provides new evidence that Rsf-1 overexpression was correlated with DNA damages which was observed more frequently in high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma. This finding should have several biological and clinical implications for the future studies of Rsf-1 in human cancer.