title: Targeting folate receptor alpha for cancer treatment.
abstract: Promising targeted treatments and immunotherapy strategies in oncology and advancements in our understanding of molecular pathways that underpin cancer development have reignited interest in the tumor-associated antigen Folate Receptor alpha (FRα). FRα is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored membrane protein. Its overexpression in tumors such as ovarian, breast and lung cancers, low and restricted distribution in normal tissues, alongside emerging insights into tumor-promoting functions and association of expression with patient prognosis, together render FRα an attractive therapeutic target. In this review, we summarize the role of FRα in cancer development, we consider FRα as a potential diagnostic and prognostic tool, and we discuss different targeted treatment approaches with a specific focus on monoclonal antibodies. Renewed attention to FRα may point to novel individualized treatment approaches to improve the clinical management of patient groups that do not adequately benefit from current conventional therapies.
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.|Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.|Division of Cancer Studies, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bax
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.|Division of Cancer Studies, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Debra H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Josephs
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.|Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kristina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ilieva
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellizzari
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Opzoomer
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jacinta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bloomfield
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.|Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fittall
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grigoriadis
authors.affiliation: Unit of Molecular Therapies, Department of Experimental Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Figini
authors.affiliation: Unit of Molecular Therapies, Department of Experimental Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canevari
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Studies, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Spicer
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Tutt
authors.affiliation: St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.|Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sophia N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Karagiannis
mesh_terms: D058975:Folate Receptor 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D058975:Folate Receptor 1
keywords: biomarker; cancer; folate receptor alpha; immunotherapy; monoclonal antibodies