Ovarian cancer is associated with the highest mortality of any gynecologic cancer. Unlike other malignancies, no effective screening tool has been identified and, as such, women often present with advanced disease. Despite an initial sensitivity to platinum/taxane combinations, the majority of patients will relapse, requiring additional therapeutics. A plethora of cytotoxic agents do exist in the management of recurrent ovarian cancer; however, enthusiasm for these agents has been dampened by their lack of tumor cell selectivity, toxicity profile and, almost uniformly, the emergence of resistance. In recent years, focus has shifted to an understanding of specific cell targets and signaling transduction pathways involved in gynecological carcinogenesis. mTOR has emerged as one attractive target for the design of targeted therapeutics as it represents a central regulator of cell growth, proliferation and apoptosis.
References
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Websites
- 101 Clinical trials www.clinicaltrials.gov
