title: Current state of biomarkers in ovarian cancer prognosis.
abstract: High-grade serous ovarian cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies in women. Despite recent advances in surgical and pharmaceutical therapies, survival rates remain poor. A major impediment in management of this disease, that continues to contribute to poor overall survival rates, is resistance to standard carboplatin-paclitaxel combination chemotherapies. In addition to tumor cell intrinsic mechanisms leading to drug resistance, there is increasing awareness of the crucial role of the tumor microenvironment in mediating natural immune defense mechanisms and selective pressures that appear to facilitate chemotherapy sensitivity. We provide an overview of some of the promising new genetic and immunological biomarkers in ovarian cancer and discuss their biology and their likely clinical utility in future ovarian cancer management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 99 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Katrina K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Au
authors.affiliation: Departments of Genetics & Pathology, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Josahkian
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart St, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, Canada.
authors.forename: Julie-Ann
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.affiliation: Departments of Genetics & Pathology, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jeremy A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Squire
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 99 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.|Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart St, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, Canada.
authors.forename: Madhuri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koti
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers; D019468:Disease Management; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: biomarkers; chemoresistance; ovarian cancer