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Review
. 2023 Mar 10;59(3):544.
doi: 10.3390/medicina59030544.

Ovarian Cancer-Insights into Platinum Resistance and Overcoming It

Andrei Havasi  1 , Simona Sorana Cainap  2   3 , Ana Teodora Havasi  4 , Calin Cainap  1   5
Affiliations
Review

Ovarian Cancer-Insights into Platinum Resistance and Overcoming It

Andrei Havasi et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Platinum-based chemotherapy is the backbone of treatment for ovarian cancer, and although the majority of patients initially have a platinum-sensitive disease, through multiple recurrences, they will acquire resistance. Platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis and few treatment options with limited efficacy. Resistance to platinum compounds is a complex process involving multiple mechanisms pertaining not only to the tumoral cell but also to the tumoral microenvironment. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanism involved in ovarian cancer cells' resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy, focusing on the alteration of drug influx and efflux pathways, DNA repair, the dysregulation of epigenetic modulation, and the involvement of the tumoral microenvironment in the acquisition of the platinum-resistant phenotype. Furthermore, we review promising alternative treatment approaches that may improve these patients' poor prognosis, discussing current strategies, novel combinations, and therapeutic agents.

Keywords: ovarian cancer; overcoming platinum resistance; platinum resistance; platinum resistance mechanisms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic overview of the mechanisms of platinum resistance in ovarian cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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