Department of Immunology and Serology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, 40‑055 Katowice, Poland.
Mol Med Rep. 2022 May;25(5). doi: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12682. Epub 2022 Mar 16.
The incidence of ovarian cancer is increasing, particularly throughout the highly developed countries, while this cancer type remains a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The currently poorly recognized lectins called galectins have various roles in interactions occurring in the tumor microenvironment. Galectins are involved in tumor‑associated processes, including the promotion of growth, adhesion, angiogenesis and survival of tumor cells. Results of research studies performed so far point to a complex role of galectins‑1, 3, ‑7, ‑8 and ‑9 in carcinogenesis of ovarian cancer and elucidation of the mechanisms may contribute to novel forms of therapies targeting the proteins. In particular, it appears important to recognize the reasons for changes in expression of galectins. Galectins also appear to be a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool to evaluate tumor progression or the efficacy of therapies in patients with ovarian cancer, which requires further study.
卵巢癌的发病率正在上升，尤其是在高度发达的国家，而这种癌症类型仍然是一个主要的诊断和治疗挑战。目前认识不足的凝集素称为半乳糖凝集素在肿瘤微环境中发生的各种相互作用中具有多种作用。半乳糖凝集素参与肿瘤相关过程，包括促进肿瘤细胞的生长、黏附、血管生成和存活。迄今为止进行的研究结果表明，半乳糖凝集素-1、3、-7、-8 和-9 在卵巢癌发生中的作用复杂，并阐明这些机制可能有助于针对这些蛋白质的新型治疗形式。特别是，认识到半乳糖凝集素表达变化的原因似乎很重要。半乳糖凝集素似乎也是一种有用的诊断和预后工具，可用于评估卵巢癌患者的肿瘤进展或治疗效果，这需要进一步研究。
