Results of TRIO-15, a multicenter, open-label, phase II study of the efficacy and safety of ganitumab in patients with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer

Extracellular Interactors of the IGF System: Impact on Cancer Hallmarks and Therapeutic Approaches

Dysregulation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system determines the onset of various pathological conditions, including cancer. Accordingly, therapeutic strategies have been developed to block this system in tumor cells, but the results of clinical trials have been disappointing. After decades of research in the field, it is safe to say that one of the major reasons underlying the poor efficacy of anti-IGF-targeting agents is derived from an underestimation of the molecular complexity of this axis. Genetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional and functional interactors interfere with the activity of canonical components of this axis, supporting the need for combinatorial approaches to effectively block this system. In addition, cancer cells interface with a multiplicity of factors from the extracellular compartment, which strongly affect cell destiny. In this review, we will cover novel extracellular mechanisms contributing to IGF system dysregulation and the implications of such dangerous liaisons for cancer hallmarks and responses to known and new anti-IGF drugs. A deeper understanding of both the intracellular and extracellular microenvironments might provide new impetus to better decipher the complexity of the IGF axis in cancer and provide new clues for designing novel therapeutic approaches.

Top advances of the year: Ovarian cancer

Although cure rates remain low and effective screening strategies are elusive, the recent advances in systemic therapies over the past year highlighted in this review have prolonged survival for women with ovarian cancer. In 2022, the first antibody-drug conjugate for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer received accelerated US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Confirmatory studies examining the efficacy of mirvetuximab and other antibody-drug conjugates are underway. In the upfront setting, the first data establishing an overall survival benefit from poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor maintenance was demonstrated after a 7-year follow-up period. In contrast, long-term updates from poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor trials in the noncurative setting reported survival detriments, and the FDA withdrew the respective indications. Several trials attempted to improve upon the standard of care for platinum-sensitive ovarian carcinoma and those with rare ovarian cancer histologies (carcinosarcoma, clear cell carcinoma) but failed to demonstrate a clinically or statistically meaningful benefit. This leaves the open question of how to further optimize systemic therapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma to improve long-term survival and cure rates.