Proteomic Studies on the Management of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Mini-Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In this manuscript, we review the management strategies available for high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients and the molecular advances that are helping improve our understanding of the tumor and its response to treatment. We emphasize the role that proteomics is now playing in the study of ovarian cancer tumors and how its integration with genomics can guide the development of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. ABSTRACT: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) remains the most common and deadly subtype of ovarian cancer. It is characterized by its late diagnosis and frequent relapse despite standardized treatment with cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. The past decade has seen significant advances in the clinical management and molecular understanding of HGSC following the publication of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) researchers and the introduction of targeted therapies with anti-angiogenic drugs and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors in specific subgroups of patients. We provide a comprehensive review of HGSC, focusing on the most important molecular advances aimed at providing a better understanding of the disease and its response to treatment. We emphasize the role that proteomic technologies are now playing in these two aspects of the disease, through the identification of proteins and their post-translational modifications in ovarian cancer tumors. Finally, we highlight how the integration of proteomics with genomics, exemplified by the work performed by the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), can guide the development of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.