Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer
The main challenge in ovarian cancer treatment is the management of recurrences. Facing this scenario, therapy selection is based on multiple factors to define the best treatment sequence. Target therapies, such as bevacizumab and polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, improved patient survival. However, des...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7768 |
| _version_ | 1797550389325725696 |
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| author | Mariana Nunes Miguel Henriques Abreu Carla Bartosch Sara Ricardo |
| author_facet | Mariana Nunes Miguel Henriques Abreu Carla Bartosch Sara Ricardo |
| author_sort | Mariana Nunes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The main challenge in ovarian cancer treatment is the management of recurrences. Facing this scenario, therapy selection is based on multiple factors to define the best treatment sequence. Target therapies, such as bevacizumab and polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, improved patient survival. However, despite their achievements, ovarian cancer survival remains poor; these therapeutic options are highly costly and can be associated with potential side effects. Recently, it has been shown that the combination of repurposed, conventional, chemotherapeutic drugs could be an alternative, presenting good patient outcomes with few side effects and low costs for healthcare institutions. The main aim of this review is to strengthen the importance of repurposed drugs as therapeutic alternatives, and to propose an in vitro model to assess the therapeutic value. Herein, we compiled the current knowledge on the most promising non-oncological drugs for ovarian cancer treatment, focusing on statins, metformin, bisphosphonates, ivermectin, itraconazole, and ritonavir. We discuss the primary drug use, anticancer mechanisms, and applicability in ovarian cancer. Finally, we propose the use of these therapies to perform drug efficacy tests in ovarian cancer ex vivo cultures. This personalized testing approach could be crucial to validate the existing evidences supporting the use of repurposed drugs for ovarian cancer treatment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:28:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6c841040df1f407fb2983bd1f46df08f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:28:35Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-6c841040df1f407fb2983bd1f46df08f2023-11-20T17:51:12ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672020-10-012120776810.3390/ijms21207768Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian CancerMariana Nunes0Miguel Henriques Abreu1Carla Bartosch2Sara Ricardo3Differentiation and Cancer Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) of the University of Porto/Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, PortugalPorto Comprehensive Cancer Center (PCCC), 4200-162 Porto, PortugalPorto Comprehensive Cancer Center (PCCC), 4200-162 Porto, PortugalDifferentiation and Cancer Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) of the University of Porto/Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, PortugalThe main challenge in ovarian cancer treatment is the management of recurrences. Facing this scenario, therapy selection is based on multiple factors to define the best treatment sequence. Target therapies, such as bevacizumab and polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, improved patient survival. However, despite their achievements, ovarian cancer survival remains poor; these therapeutic options are highly costly and can be associated with potential side effects. Recently, it has been shown that the combination of repurposed, conventional, chemotherapeutic drugs could be an alternative, presenting good patient outcomes with few side effects and low costs for healthcare institutions. The main aim of this review is to strengthen the importance of repurposed drugs as therapeutic alternatives, and to propose an in vitro model to assess the therapeutic value. Herein, we compiled the current knowledge on the most promising non-oncological drugs for ovarian cancer treatment, focusing on statins, metformin, bisphosphonates, ivermectin, itraconazole, and ritonavir. We discuss the primary drug use, anticancer mechanisms, and applicability in ovarian cancer. Finally, we propose the use of these therapies to perform drug efficacy tests in ovarian cancer ex vivo cultures. This personalized testing approach could be crucial to validate the existing evidences supporting the use of repurposed drugs for ovarian cancer treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7768ovarian cancerchemoresistancedrug repurposingex vivo cultures |
| spellingShingle | Mariana Nunes Miguel Henriques Abreu Carla Bartosch Sara Ricardo Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer International Journal of Molecular Sciences ovarian cancer chemoresistance drug repurposing ex vivo cultures |
| title | Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer |
| title_full | Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer |
| title_fullStr | Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer |
| title_short | Recycling the Purpose of Old Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer |
| title_sort | recycling the purpose of old drugs to treat ovarian cancer |
| topic | ovarian cancer chemoresistance drug repurposing ex vivo cultures |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7768 |
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