Ritu Salani, MD, MBA, gynecologic oncologist, director, Gynecologic Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), UCLA Health, discusses pathways in low-grade serous ovarian cancer that may be viable for targeted therapy development, as well as potential reasons why prior research with MEK inhibitors have shown suboptimal results. One of the pathways involved low-grade serous ovarian cancer is the hormone pathway, Salani begins. Many patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancers tend to have high estrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor expression levels, making them more susceptible to hormonal targeting, she explains.
Studies are ongoing to investigate the replacement of chemotherapy with hormone strategies as well as the use of adjuvant hormonal therapies, she reports. These approaches could be compelling alternatives, Salani emphasizes Another emerging target for drug development is the KRAS pathway, Salani continues. Mutations in this pathway are frequently found in patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancers, and targeting this pathway has proven effective in patients who do not harbor a KRAS mutation, she reports.
MEK inhibitors can be used to inhibit KRAS signaling in KRAS -mutant tumors. Although MET inhibitors have demonstrated favorable outcomes, progress is slow, and they have yet to significantly alter the standard of care or the overall treatment landscape for low-grade serous ovarian cancer, Salani says. Several challenges may have impeded the .
