Guest Editor(s)

• Prof. Manuel López-Cabrera

  Molecular Biology Centre Severo Ochoa (CBM-SO), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Autonomous University of Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.

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• Dr. Raffaele Strippoli

  Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

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• Dr. Pilar Sandoval

  Molecular Biology Centre Severo Ochoa (CBM-SO), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.

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Special Issue Introduction

Ovarian cancer is still the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies and has experienced a minimal improvement in patient outcomes during the last three decades. It is usually diagnosed at advanced stages when most patients already have peritoneal carcinomatosis. In fact, the severity of the disease is associated with late diagnosis, resulting from the lack of valuable and specific markers of ovarian cancer progression. Even though metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related death, our understanding of the process remains limited. In contrast to most other cancers, which metastasize via hematogenous or lymphatic routes, the anatomic pelvic position of ovaries facilitates the peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer cells, which involves exfoliation from the primary tumor, survival, and transport in the peritoneal fluid followed by metastatic colonization of the organs within the peritoneal cavity. A key step for successful metastasis is the attachment and productive interactions of the cancer cells with the mesothelial cells, lining the peritoneal membrane, for the establishment of secondary tumors. Therapy of ovarian cancer largely depends on the stage of the disease. The standard of care remains a combination of radical cytoreduction, followed by platinum‐ and taxanes‐based cytotoxic chemotherapy. Unfortunately, however, a relapse of the disease is an often phenomenon, and its mechanisms are elusive. Therefore, a better understanding of the process of peritoneal metastasis and the underlying mechanisms of regulation is crucial for the development of effective therapies.

In this proposal, we welcome original research and review articles illustrating and stimulating the rapid advances in the area of ovarian cancer research. We are especially interested in articles describing molecular mechanisms of the development of peritoneal ovarian cancer metastasis and studies providing new targets for personalized therapy of the disease.

Potential subjects include but are not limited to the following:
● Molecular features of ovarian cancer cells promote their dissemination
● Role of exosomes in stroma-cancer cells communication
● Role of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts and macrophages in ovarian cancer progression
● Mechanisms of ovarian cancer relapse
● Malignant ascites in ovarian cancer development
● Biomarkers for the stratification of ovarian cancer patients
● Personalized approaches to combat ovarian cancer

Keywords

Ovarian cancer, peritoneal metastasis, personalized therapy, tumor microenvironment

Submission Deadline

30 Sep 2023

Submission Information

For Author Instructions, please refer to http://jcmtjournal.com/pages/view/author_instructions
For Online Submission, please login at https://oaemesas.com/login?JournalId=jcmt&SpecialIssueId=jcmt20211208
Submission Deadline: 30 Sep 2023
Contacts: Grace Wong, Assistant Editor, grace-editor@jcmtjournal.com