Metformin Inhibits Cisplatin-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer by Repressing Akt Signaling

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is a common malignancy in women and represents the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the field of gynecology [1]. The most common form of ovarian malignancy is epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC); this accounts for more than 90% of all ovarian malignancies. Because of the absence of, or vague, symptoms and the lack of screening methods, more than 70% of EOC cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage (usually stage III/IV). The current gold standard for treating ovarian cancer is optimized cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based combination chemotherapies; this is now considered as the standard treatment for advanced EOC [2, 3]. Recent advances in radical surgery and chemotherapy have improved the treatment outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer. Of the platinum-based compounds, cisplatin has been proven to be the most effective drug against cancer. However, the 5-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is usually lower than 40%; this is because of the development of resistance to platinum-based therapies and recurrence. The advent of chemoresistance has emerged as a major obstacle for the treatment of ovarian cancer.