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Tavares V, Marques IS, Melo IGD, Assis J, Pereira D, Medeiros R. Paradigm Shift: A Comprehensive Review of Ovarian Cancer Management in an Era of Advancements. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1845. [PMID: 38339123 PMCID: PMC10856127 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the female genital malignancy with the highest lethality. Patients present a poor prognosis mainly due to the late clinical presentation allied with the common acquisition of chemoresistance and a high rate of tumour recurrence. Effective screening, accurate diagnosis, and personalised multidisciplinary treatments are crucial for improving patients' survival and quality of life. This comprehensive narrative review aims to describe the current knowledge on the aetiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of OC, highlighting the latest significant advancements and future directions. Traditionally, OC treatment involves the combination of cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. Although more therapeutical approaches have been developed, the lack of established predictive biomarkers to guide disease management has led to only marginal improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) while patients face an increasing level of toxicity. Fortunately, because of a better overall understanding of ovarian tumourigenesis and advancements in the disease's (epi)genetic and molecular profiling, a paradigm shift has emerged with the identification of new disease biomarkers and the proposal of targeted therapeutic approaches to postpone disease recurrence and decrease side effects, while increasing patients' survival. Despite this progress, several challenges in disease management, including disease heterogeneity and drug resistance, still need to be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valéria Tavares
- Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Soares Marques
- Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Guerra de Melo
- Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Assis
- Clinical Research Unit, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
| | - Deolinda Pereira
- Oncology Department, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPOP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui Medeiros
- Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Fernando Pessoa University, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal
- Research Department, Portuguese League Against Cancer (NRNorte), 4200-172 Porto, Portugal
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Eissman JM, Archer DB, Mukherjee S, Lee ML, Choi S, Scollard P, Trittschuh EH, Mez JB, Bush WS, Kunkle BW, Naj AC, Gifford KA, Cuccaro ML, Cruchaga C, Pericak‐Vance MA, Farrer LA, Wang L, Schellenberg GD, Mayeux RP, Haines JL, Jefferson AL, Kukull WA, Keene CD, Saykin AJ, Thompson PM, Martin ER, Bennett DA, Barnes LL, Schneider JA, Crane PK, Hohman TJ, Dumitrescu L. Sex-specific genetic architecture of late-life memory performance. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:1250-1267. [PMID: 37984853 PMCID: PMC10917043 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women demonstrate a memory advantage when cognitively healthy yet lose this advantage to men in Alzheimer's disease. However, the genetic underpinnings of this sex difference in memory performance remain unclear. METHODS We conducted the largest sex-aware genetic study on late-life memory to date (Nmales = 11,942; Nfemales = 15,641). Leveraging harmonized memory composite scores from four cohorts of cognitive aging and AD, we performed sex-stratified and sex-interaction genome-wide association studies in 24,216 non-Hispanic White and 3367 non-Hispanic Black participants. RESULTS We identified three sex-specific loci (rs67099044-CBLN2, rs719070-SCHIP1/IQCJ-SCHIP), including an X-chromosome locus (rs5935633-EGL6/TCEANC/OFD1), that associated with memory. Additionally, we identified heparan sulfate signaling as a sex-specific pathway and found sex-specific genetic correlations between memory and cardiovascular, immune, and education traits. DISCUSSION This study showed memory is highly and comparably heritable across sexes, as well as highlighted novel sex-specific genes, pathways, and genetic correlations that related to late-life memory. HIGHLIGHTS Demonstrated the heritable component of late-life memory is similar across sexes. Identified two genetic loci with a sex-interaction with baseline memory. Identified an X-chromosome locus associated with memory decline in females. Highlighted sex-specific candidate genes and pathways associated with memory. Revealed sex-specific shared genetic architecture between memory and complex traits.
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Kori M, Demirtas TY, Comertpay B, Arga KY, Sinha R, Gov E. A 19-Gene Signature of Serous Ovarian Cancer Identified by Machine Learning and Systems Biology: Prospects for Diagnostics and Personalized Medicine. OMICS : A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2024; 28:90-101. [PMID: 38320250 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2023.0273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths among women. Early diagnosis and precision/personalized medicine are essential to reduce mortality and morbidity of ovarian cancer, as with new molecular targets to accelerate drug discovery. We report here an integrated systems biology and machine learning (ML) approach based on the differential coexpression analysis to identify candidate systems biomarkers (i.e., gene modules) for serous ovarian cancer. Accordingly, four independent transcriptome datasets were statistically analyzed independently and common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Using these DEGs, coexpressed gene pairs were unraveled. Subsequently, differential coexpression networks between the coexpressed gene pairs were reconstructed so as to identify the differentially coexpressed gene modules. Based on the established criteria, "SOV-module" was identified as being significant, consisting of 19 genes. Using independent datasets, the diagnostic capacity of the SOV-module was evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and ML techniques. PCA showed a sensitivity and specificity of 96.7% and 100%, respectively, and ML analysis showed an accuracy of up to 100% in distinguishing phenotypes in the present study sample. The prognostic capacity of the SOV-module was evaluated using survival and ML analyses. We found that the SOV-module's performance for prognostics was significant (p-value = 1.36 × 10-4) with an accuracy of 63% in discriminating between survival and death using ML techniques. In summary, the reported genomic systems biomarker candidate offers promise for personalized medicine in diagnosis and prognosis of serous ovarian cancer and warrants further experimental and translational clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Medi Kori
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Talip Yasir Demirtas
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine and University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Betul Comertpay
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University, Adana, Türkiye
| | - Kazim Yalcin Arga
- Department of Bioengineering, Marmara University, İstanbul, Türkiye
- Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Research and Investigation Center, Marmara University, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Raghu Sinha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Esra Gov
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University, Adana, Türkiye
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Wilczyński J, Paradowska E, Wilczyński M. Personalization of Therapy in High-Grade Serous Tubo-Ovarian Cancer-The Possibility or the Necessity? J Pers Med 2023; 14:49. [PMID: 38248751 PMCID: PMC10817599 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
High-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer (HGSTOC) is the most lethal tumor of the female genital tract. The foregoing therapy consists of cytoreduction followed by standard platinum/taxane chemotherapy; alternatively, for primary unresectable tumors, neo-adjuvant platinum/taxane chemotherapy followed by delayed interval cytoreduction. In patients with suboptimal surgery or advanced disease, different forms of targeted therapy have been accepted or tested in clinical trials. Studies on HGSTOC discovered its genetic and proteomic heterogeneity, epigenetic regulation, and the role of the tumor microenvironment. These findings turned attention to the fact that there are several distinct primary tumor subtypes of HGSTOC and the unique biology of primary, metastatic, and recurrent tumors may result in a differential drug response. This results in both chemo-refractoriness of some primary tumors and, what is significantly more frequent and destructive, secondary chemo-resistance of metastatic and recurrent HGSTOC tumors. Treatment possibilities for platinum-resistant disease include several chemotherapeutics with moderate activity and different targeted drugs with difficult tolerable effects. Therefore, the question appears as to why different subtypes of ovarian cancer are predominantly treated based on the same therapeutic schemes and not in an individualized way, adjusted to the biology of a specific tumor subtype and temporal moment of the disease. The paper reviews the genomic, mutational, and epigenetic signatures of HGSTOC subtypes and the tumor microenvironment. The clinical trials on personalized therapy and the overall results of a new, comprehensive approach to personalized therapy for ovarian cancer have been presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacek Wilczyński
- Department of Gynecological Surgery and Gynecological Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, 4 Kosciuszki Street, 90-419 Lodz, Poland
| | - Edyta Paradowska
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 106 Lodowa Street, 93-232 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Miłosz Wilczyński
- Department of Gynecological, Endoscopic and Oncological Surgery, Polish Mother’s Health Center—Research Institute, 281/289 Rzgowska Street, 93-338 Lodz, Poland;
- Department of Surgical and Endoscopic Gynecology, Medical University of Lodz, 4 Kosciuszki Street, 90-419 Lodz, Poland
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Li Z, Gu H, Xu X, Tian Y, Huang X, Du Y. Unveiling the novel immune and molecular signatures of ovarian cancer: insights and innovations from single-cell sequencing. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1288027. [PMID: 38022625 PMCID: PMC10654630 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1288027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a highly heterogeneous and lethal malignancy with limited treatment options. Over the past decade, single-cell sequencing has emerged as an advanced biological technology capable of decoding the landscape of ovarian cancer at the single-cell resolution. It operates at the level of genes, transcriptomes, proteins, epigenomes, and metabolisms, providing detailed information that is distinct from bulk sequencing methods, which only offer average data for specific lesions. Single-cell sequencing technology provides detailed insights into the immune and molecular mechanisms underlying tumor occurrence, development, drug resistance, and immune escape. These insights can guide the development of innovative diagnostic markers, therapeutic strategies, and prognostic indicators. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive summary of the diverse applications of single-cell sequencing in ovarian cancer. It encompasses the identification and characterization of novel cell subpopulations, the elucidation of tumor heterogeneity, the investigation of the tumor microenvironment, the analysis of mechanisms underlying metastasis, and the integration of innovative approaches such as organoid models and multi-omics analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongkang Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Haihan Gu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Xiaotong Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Yanpeng Tian
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xianghua Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Yanfang Du
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
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Immunotherapeutic Approaches in Ovarian Cancer. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:1233-1249. [PMID: 36826026 PMCID: PMC9955550 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45020081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is gynecological cancer, and diagnosis and treatment are continuously advancing. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based diagnoses have emerged as novel methods for identifying molecules and pathways in cancer research. The NGS-based applications have expanded in OC research for early detection and identification of aberrant genes and dysregulation pathways, demonstrating comprehensive views of the entire transcriptome, such as fusion genes, genetic mutations, and gene expression profiling. Coinciding with advances in NGS-based diagnosis, treatment strategies for OC, such as molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have also advanced. Immunotherapy is effective against many other cancers, and its efficacy against OC has also been demonstrated at the clinical phase. In this review, we describe several NGS-based applications for therapeutic targets of OC, and introduce current immunotherapeutic strategies, including vaccines, checkpoint inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell transplantation, for effective diagnosis and treatment of OC.
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Progress of EGFL6 in angiogenesis and tumor development. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY 2022; 15:436-443. [PMID: 36507067 PMCID: PMC9729941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The epidermal growth factor (EGF) superfamily includes the protein 6 with an epidermal growth factor-like protein (EGFL6). EGFL6 has a signal peptide domain with an amino terminus and a MAM domain with a carboxy terminus. There are four whole EGF-like repeat regions and one partial EGF-like repeat region. Three of these regions include calcium-binding structures and an arg-gly-asp (RGD) integrin interaction motif. The epidermal growth factor-like (EGFL) and EGF domains have identical amino acid residues. Cell division, differentiation, mortality, cell adhesion, and migration are all affected by EGFL6. EGFL proteins are involved in a broad range of biological activities, making it important in tumor development and angiogenesis. We highlighted the latest development of EGFL6 research on tumor proliferation, invasion, and migration in this review.
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Identification of Malignant Cell Populations Associated with Poor Prognosis in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14153580. [PMID: 35892844 PMCID: PMC9331511 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Ovarian cancer has a high recurrence rate (~75%), and tumor heterogeneity is associated with such tumor recurrence. However, it is still poorly understood in ovarian cancer. To reveal tumor heterogeneity, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of serous ovarian cancer cells from four different patients: two with primary carcinoma, one with recurrent carcinoma, and one with carcinoma treated with interval debulking surgery. As a result, we found two malignant tumor cell subtypes associated with poor prognosis. One malignant population included the earliest cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells. SLC3A1 and PEG10 were identified as the marker genes of cancer-initiating cells. The other malignant population expressing CA125 (MUC16), the most common biomarker for ovarian cancer, is associated with a decrease in the number of tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Our findings will offer new markers for diagnosis and choosing treatments targeting the malignant populations in ovarian cancer. Abstract To reveal tumor heterogeneity in ovarian cancer, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). We obtained The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) survival data and TCGA gene expression data for a Kaplan–Meier plot showing the association of each tumor population with poor prognosis. As a result, we found two malignant tumor cell subtypes associated with poor prognosis. Next, we performed trajectory analysis using scVelo and Monocle3 and cell–cell interaction analysis using CellphoneDB. We found that one malignant population included the earliest cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells. Furthermore, we identified SLC3A1 and PEG10 as the marker genes of cancer-initiating cells. The other malignant population expressing CA125 (MUC16) is associated with a decrease in the number of tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Moreover, cell–cell interaction analysis implied that interactions mediated by LGALS9 and GAS6, expressed by this malignant population, caused the CTL suppression. The results of this study suggest that two tumor cell populations, including a cancer-initiating cell population and a population expressing CA125, survive the initial treatment and suppress antitumor immunity, respectively, and are associated with poor prognosis. Our findings offer a new understanding of ovarian cancer heterogeneity and will aid in the development of diagnostic tools and treatments.
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