Loret Nele, Denys Hannelore, Tummers Philippe, Berx Geert
Molecular and Cellular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.
Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Cancers (Basel). 2019 Jun 17;11(6):838. doi: 10.3390/cancers11060838.
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies and the eighth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. The main reasons for this poor prognosis are late diagnosis; when the disease is already in an advanced stage, and the frequent development of resistance to current chemotherapeutic regimens. Growing evidence demonstrates that apart from its role in ovarian cancer progression, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can promote chemotherapy resistance. In this review, we will highlight the contribution of EMT to the distinct steps of ovarian cancer progression. In addition, we will review the different types of ovarian cancer resistance to therapy with particular attention to EMT-mediated mechanisms such as cell fate transitions, enhancement of cancer cell survival, and upregulation of genes related to drug resistance. Preclinical studies of anti-EMT therapies have yielded promising results. However, before anti-EMT therapies can be effectively implemented in clinical trials, more research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms leading to EMT-induced therapy resistance.
卵巢癌是所有妇科恶性肿瘤中致死率最高的，也是全球女性癌症相关死亡的第八大主要原因。预后不佳的主要原因是诊断延迟，即疾病已处于晚期，以及对当前化疗方案频繁产生耐药性。越来越多的证据表明，上皮-间质转化（EMT）除了在卵巢癌进展中发挥作用外，还可促进化疗耐药。在本综述中，我们将重点介绍EMT对卵巢癌进展不同阶段的作用。此外，我们将回顾卵巢癌对治疗产生耐药的不同类型，特别关注EMT介导的机制，如细胞命运转变、癌细胞存活增强以及与耐药相关基因的上调。抗EMT治疗的临床前研究已取得了有前景的结果。然而，在抗EMT治疗能够有效地在临床试验中实施之前，还需要更多的研究来阐明导致EMT诱导治疗耐药的机制。
