Arkene Levy

By Appu Rathinavelu and Arkene Levy

In recent years, multiple genes or their protein products have been linked to initiation and progression of prostate cancer. Such genes include TMPRSS2, ERG, PTEN, and MDM2. This chapter discusses the pathological roles as well as the potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of these genes that are highly expressed in prostate cancer when compared to other cancer types. The presence of these genes and related defects are linked to growth, progression, metastasis, invasiveness and resistance in prostate cancers. While knowledge related to TMPRSS2, ERG, and PTEN have been accumulating in the last two decades, the prometastatic role of MDM2 has been emerging in the last few years and revealing important functions related to prostate cancer progression.

Part of the book: Prostate Cancer

By Arkene Levy and Patricia C. Rose

Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies that has shown minimal improvement in 5 year overall survival rates for the past 15 years. This chapter discusses the current targeted therapies that are being used or evaluated as monotherapy and/or adjuvants to chemotherapeutic regimens in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. These therapeutics include focal adhesion kinase inhibitors (FAK) such as defactinib, anti-angiogenic agents such as bevacizumab, poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP] ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors such as olaparib, epidermal growth factor receptor family targeting agents such as erlotinib, folate receptor antagonists such as farletuzumab, and insulin growth factor receptor inhibitors such as linsitinib. The rationale for using immunotherapeutic agents will also be discussed. The importance of combination strategies utilizing immunotherapies will be highlighted with specific focus on immune checkpoint inhibitors that are currently in multiple clinical trials assessing synergistic effects with targeted agents such as PARP inhibitors in platinum-resistant OC. These therapeutic combinations have the potential to produce substantial improvements in platinum-resistant OC treatment outcomes in the future. Finally, the major challenges and limitation associated with these combination therapies and strategies to overcome them will be explored.

Part of the book: Cancer Management and Therapy