Clinical utility of targeted treatments in the management of epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Epithelial ovarian cancer is typically found in its advanced stages, where a combination of surgical debulking and platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy is recommended. Although over 70%–80% of patients achieve remission, a significant proportion develop recurrence of their disease. Additional cytotoxic chemotherapy, as well as surgery, is typically used to manage disease recurrence. Therapies that target specific pathways in cancer cells are rapidly developing in the laboratory and are increasingly being studied in patients with ovarian cancer. We review the current status of novel therapies in the management of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Keywords:

• angiogenesis
• polyadenosine ribose pathway inhibitors
• epidermal growth factor receptor
• folate inhibitors

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Yesenia Donahue for her editorial assistance in preparing this paper for publication.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.