Molecular signatures in ovarian cancer

Molecular signatures are a key element in the development of new screening tools and treatment targets in ovarian cancer. The identification of molecular signatures may lead to new screening methods for early stage disease and to a more personalized approach to patient care in the future. In ovarian cancer, which has high recurrence rates and poor overall survival, the incorporation of specific chemotherapeutic and biologic agents into a treatment plan on the basis of the molecular pattern of an individual patient's disease may prolong progression-free and overall survival. These molecular patterns may also assist physicians in counseling patients regarding their overall prognosis. With advances in technology related to genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches, hundreds of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets have been identified. Much work remains to validate the clinical applicability of these molecular signatures, but the identification of novel biologic agents that target these molecules shows a promising future for individualized medicine. This chapter aims to review the various techniques used to identify molecular signatures in ovarian cancer, to discuss some of the biomarkers that have been found thus far, and to demonstrate the clinical applicability of these ovarian cancer biomarkers.