Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology 'G. Salvatore' (IEOS) - CNR, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1330:95-112. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-73359-9_6.
Ovarian Cancer is one of the most lethal and widespread gynecological malignancies. It is the seventh leading cause of all cancer deaths worldwide. High-Grade Serous Cancer (HGSC), the most commonly occurring subtype, alone contributes to 70% of all ovarian cancer deaths. This is mainly attributed to the complete lack of symptoms during the early stages of the disease and absence of an early diagnostic marker.PAX8 is emerging as an important histological marker for most of the epithelial ovarian cancers, as it is expressed in about 90% of malignant ovarian cancers, specifically in HGSC. PAX8 is a member of the Paired-Box gene family (PAX1-9) of transcription factors whose expression is tightly controlled temporally and spatially. The PAX genes are well known for their role in embryonic development and their expression continues to persist in some adult tissues. PAX8 is required for the normal development of Müllerian duct that includes Fallopian tube, uterus, cervix, and upper part of vagina. In adults, it is expressed in the Fallopian tube and uterine epithelium and not in the ovarian epithelium. Considering the recent studies that predict the events preceding the tumorigenesis of HGSC from the Fallopian tube, PAX8 appears to have an important role in the development of ovarian cancer.In this chapter, we review some of the published findings to highlight the significance of PAX8 as an important marker and an emerging player in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. We also discuss regarding the future perspectives of PAX8 wherein it could contribute to the betterment of ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment.
卵巢癌是最致命和最广泛的妇科恶性肿瘤之一。它是全球癌症死亡的第七大主要原因。高级别浆液性癌（HGSC）是最常见的亚型，单独导致 70%的卵巢癌死亡。这主要归因于疾病早期完全缺乏症状和缺乏早期诊断标志物。PAX8 作为大多数上皮性卵巢癌的重要组织学标志物而出现，因为它在约 90%的恶性卵巢癌中表达，特别是在 HGSC 中。PAX8 是转录因子的配对盒基因家族（PAX1-9）的成员，其表达在时间和空间上受到严格控制。PAX 基因以其在胚胎发育中的作用而闻名，并且它们的表达在一些成人组织中持续存在。PAX8 是 Müllerian 管（包括输卵管、子宫、宫颈和阴道上部）正常发育所必需的。在成人中，它在输卵管和子宫上皮中表达，而不在卵巢上皮中表达。考虑到最近的研究预测了 HGSC 从输卵管发生肿瘤发生之前的事件，PAX8 似乎在卵巢癌的发病机制中起着重要作用。在本章中，我们回顾了一些已发表的发现，以强调 PAX8 作为重要标志物和新兴参与者在卵巢癌发病机制中的意义。我们还讨论了 PAX8 的未来前景，它可能有助于改善卵巢癌的诊断和治疗。
