Potential Therapeutic Targets in Ovarian Cancer: Autophagy and Metabolism

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) is characterized by high mortality rates owing to late diagnosis and resistance to chemotherapy. Autophagy and metabolism play essential roles in the pathological process of cancer and have recently been proposed as potential targets for anticancer therapies. Autophagy is responsible for the catabolic clearance of functionally misfolded proteins and plays different roles depending on the stage and type of cancer. Thus, understanding and controlling autophagy is relevant for treating cancer. Autophagy intermediates can communicate with each other by providing substrates for glucose, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. Metabolites and metabolic regulatory genes modulate autophagy and influence the immune response. Therefore, autophagy and the functional manipulation of metabolism during starvation or overnutrition are being investigated as potential therapeutic targets. This review discusses the role of autophagy and metabolism in OC and highlights effective therapeutic strategies targeting these processes.

Keywords

• ovarian cancer
• autophagy
• metabolism
• metabolites
• cancer therapeutics