title: Hedgehog signaling pathway as a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.
abstract: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal cause of death among gynecological malignancies. Despite advancements in surgery and chemotherapy treatment strategies, the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients remains poor; a majority of patients relapse and eventually succumb to this disease. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches to improve patient outcome are urgently needed. The hedgehog signaling pathway is vital for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and its deregulation is implicated in cancer cell growth, survival, differentiation, and metastasis. The critical role of hedgehog signaling in multiple biologic processes raises concerns about its potential therapeutic use in cancer. Consequently, many studies are focusing on hedgehog signaling as an attractive target in cancer treatment. In this review, we present an overview of the hedgehog pathway and its pathological aberrations in ovarian cancer. We also discuss inhibitors of the hedgehog signaling pathway that are currently being investigated in the laboratory and in early clinical trials; as well as the clinical challenges these inhibitors face.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Haixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Jinghua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China. Electronic address: lucyfeng1966@163.com.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins
keywords: Hedgehog; Ovarian cancer; Targeted therapy