Reproductive Immunology: Open Access

Ovarian Cancer Therapeutic Opportunities

Among women in the United States, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting for approximately 5% of all cancer deaths, with an estimated 22,280 new cases this year [1]. There are 239,000 new diagnoses and 152,000 deaths from the disease in 2012 worldwide. The four most common subtypes of ovarian cancer are serous, endometrioid, clear cell, and mucinous carcinoma based on distinct clinical and biological behaviors. Over 60% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage of distant metastases or invasion due to lack of effective screening for detection. Currently, the standard treatment approach for patient with ovarian cancer is surgical intervention followed by platinum-based drugs plus taxane chemotherapy [2,3]. The 5-year survival rate for ovarian cancer patients with stage III or IV disease is under 20%. No effective therapy is available for relapsed or metastatic disease that has failed first-line chemotherapy [4]. However, this landscape may change because of the remarkable progress in precision medicine and cancer immunotherapy.

Author(s):

De-Kuan Chang

Abstract | Full-Text | PDF

Share this