Ovarian cancer: epigenetics, drug resistance, and progression

Cancer Cell International

Xiaoduan Li¹  Xipeng Wang²  Feikai Lin²  Weiwei Xie²  Huizhen Sun²  Ziliang Wang² 

[1] Department of Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China;Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Xinhua Hospital, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, China;

关键词: Epigenetics;    Ovarian cancer;    MiRNA;    LncRNA;    DNA methylation;    Histone modifications;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12935-021-02136-y

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. OC is associated with the activation of oncogenes, the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, and the activation of abnormal cell signaling pathways. Moreover, epigenetic processes have been found to play an important role in OC tumorigenesis. Epigenetic processes do not change DNA sequences but regulate gene expression through DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA. This review comprehensively considers the importance of epigenetics in OC, with a focus on microRNA and long non-coding RNA. These types of RNA are promising molecular markers and therapeutic targets that may support precision medicine in OC. DNA methylation inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors may be useful for such targeting, with a possible novel approach combining these two therapies. Currently, the clinical application of such epigenetic approaches is limited by multiple obstacles, including the heterogeneity of OC, insufficient sample sizes in reported studies, and non-optimized methods for detecting potential tumor markers. Nonetheless, the application of epigenetic approaches to OC patient diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis is a promising area for future clinical investigation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY