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Advancements in Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma of the Ovary and Peritoneum

  • Gynecologic Cancers (NS Reed, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) is a rare form of epithelial ovarian cancer that generally exhibits a protracted course and is less sensitive to chemotherapy than high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Over the past decade, it has become clear that patients with LGSOC have a clinically distinct course and are molecularly and histologically unique from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Recent Findings

Endocrine therapy is frequently used for the treatment of patients with recurrent LGSOC and is now also part of the standard upfront treatment of this disease, with an ongoing phase III clinical trial seeking to determine if chemotherapy can be eliminated altogether from the initial treatment of LGSOC. Tumors are frequently found to exhibit alterations affecting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, recently leading to developments in the use of targeted treatments for those patients with recurrent disease.

Summary

LGSOC is a clinically, histologically, and molecularly unique form of epithelial ovarian cancer. Recent advances in the understanding of endocrine and molecular drivers of this disease have led to changes in both the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent disease, with ongoing studies focused on refining upfront therapy and seeking novel targeted combinations for those patients with recurrent disease.

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Funding

This work was funded in part by the NIH/NCI Cancer Center Core Grant No. P30-CA008748. R Grisham is funded by OCRFA. M.H. Chui is funded by Kaleidoscope of Hope Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gynecologic Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Rachel N. Grisham

  2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    M. Herman Chui

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  1. Rachel N. Grisham
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Correspondence to Rachel N. Grisham.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Grisham reports personal fees from Clovis, personal fees from Mateon, personal fees from Regeneron, unpaid consulting for Verastem, personal fees from Amgen, personal fees from Medscape, personal fees from Aptitude Health, personal fees from PER, personal fees from Signatera, personal fees from GSK, personal fees from Corcept, and personal fees from Springworks, outside the submitted work. Dr. Chui reports personal fees from Roche, outside the submitted work.

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Grisham, R.N., Chui, M.H. Advancements in Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma of the Ovary and Peritoneum. Curr Oncol Rep 24, 1549–1555 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-022-01315-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-022-01315-y

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