title: Wnt signalling in gynaecological cancers: A future target for personalised medicine?
abstract: The three major gynaecological cancers, ovarian, uterine and cervical, contribute a significant burden to global cancer mortality, and affect women in both developed and developing countries. However, unlike other cancer types that have seen rapid advances and incorporation of targeted treatments in recent years, personalised medicine is not yet a reality in the treatment of gynaecological cancers. Advances in sequencing technology and international collaborations and initiatives such as The Cancer Genome Atlas are now revealing the molecular basis of these cancers, and highlighting key signalling pathways involved. One pathway which plays a role in all three cancer types, is the Wnt signalling pathway. This complex developmental pathway is altered in most human malignancies, and members of this pathway, particularly the recently linked ROR receptor tyrosine kinases may be attractive future therapeutic targets. This review provides an up-to-date summary of research into Wnt signalling and ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers, and discusses the potential of the Wnt pathway as a future target for personalised medicine in gynaecological cancers.
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Group, Prince of Wales Clinical School, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: caroline.ford@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Group, Prince of Wales Clinical School, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Group, Prince of Wales Clinical School, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Llamosas
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Group, Prince of Wales Clinical School, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Djordjevic
authors.affiliation: Royal Hospital for Women, School of Women and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hacker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Cervical cancer; Ovarian cancer; ROR1; ROR2; Uterine cancer; Wnt