Special Issue "Ovarian Cancer: Prevention and Treatment"
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Women's Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2023 | Viewed by 8717
Special Issue Editors

2. Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Windmill Road, Gillingham, Kent ME7 5NY, UK
3. Kent Medway Medical School, University of Kent, CT2 7LX, Canterbury, Kent, UK
4. AELIA Organization, 9(th)Km Thessaloniki-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: ovarian cancer; cervical cancer; carcinoma of unknown primary; prostate cancer, renal cancer, colorectal cancer; cancer in pregnancy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Interests: prostate cancer; urology oncology; minimally invasive surgery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ovarian cancer is composed of three histological subtypes: epithelial (90%), germ cell (5%), and sex cord stromal cell (5%). Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is deadly, claiming more women than all other gynecological malignancies combined, due to lack of effective early detection strategies. The majority of newly diagnosed EOC patients are treated with radical surgery, followed by adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. Most patients experience disease relapse within the first 5 years, despite aggressive treatment at diagnosis.
Screening efforts and genetic testing is strongly recommended. The analysis should be able to detect damaging variants in all genes associated with EOC susceptibility and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have rapidly evolved. Breast cancer genes 1 and 2 (BRCA1/2) germline mutations are the most significant molecular aberrations in EOC with established prognostic and predictive value. Cells with mutations in BRCA1/2 genes have an impaired double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). Apart from BRCA1/2, several other suppressor genes and oncogenes have been associated with hereditary EOC (i.e., TP53, BARD1, CHEK2, RAD51, and PALB2).
There is mature evidence that poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors exploit homologous recombination (HR) deficiency, especially in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. Moreover, novel combinations of PARP inhibitors with other anticancer therapies are challenging; the first evaluated combination was with antiangiogenic agents. In addition, encouraging preliminary results support the combination of PARP and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Other biologic agents that have been combined with PARP inhibitors are the anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibodies, and the mTOR-, AKT-, PI3K-, MEK1/2-, and WEE1 inhibitors. Finally, combination with chemotherapy has been recommended with the rationale of disrupting base excision repair via PARP inhibition.
The forthcoming special issue focuses on several key elements that are essential for an understanding of this heterogeneous group of malignancies. The manuscripts should be focused but are not only limited to:
- Risk factors for ovarian cancer
- EOC risk assessment in the era of next-generation sequencing
- PARP inhibitors in EOC
- PARP inhibitors in combination with other therapies
- Immunotherapy in EOC
- Endometriosis-associated EOC
- Diagnosis and treatment of non-epithelial ovarian cancers
Dr. Stergios Boussios
Prof. Dr. Matin Sheriff
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- ovarian cancer
- germaline mutations
- somatic mutations
- DNA repair pathways
- cell cycle related genes
- PARP inhibitors
- combined therapies
- precision treatment