Journal of International Obstetrics and Gynecology ›› 2024, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (2): 215-219.doi: 10.12280/gjfckx.20231088

• Research on Gynecological Malignancies: Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research Progress in Copper and Ovarian Cancer

ZOU Qiao-jian, YAO Shu-zhong, CHEN Yi-li, LIU Jun-xi()   

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China
  • Received:2023-12-25 Published:2024-04-15 Online:2024-04-19
  • Contact: LIU Jun-xiu, E-mail: liujxiu@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Ovarian cancer is one of the common gynecological malignant tumors, and most patients with ovarian cancer are discovered in their advanced stage, their prognosis and treatment effects are usually poor, which also seriously affects the quality of patients′ survival. Copper is an important trace element that participates in various important biological processes in human body and correlates closely with the progression of many malignant tumors. An increasing number of studies have explored the relationship between copper and ovarian cancer. Previous research has noticed that copper levels are apparently higher in the plasma, ascites, and tumor tissue of ovarian cancer patients than in healthy women, and the abnormal expressions of a variety of copper- transporting proteins is closely related to the resistance to platinum-based drug chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. Recently, anti-tumor therapy targeting copper metabolism has become a hot research topic. Many studies have demonstrated the significant inhibitory effect of copper chelators and ionophores on ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo. To summarizes the close relationship between copper and ovarian cancer, and to gain a deeper understanding of the application of copper-metabolism-based drugs and therapies, which may provide new insight into the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Key words: Ovarian neoplasms, Copper, Copper transport proteins, Copper-transporting ATPases, Antineoplastic combined chemotherapy protocols, Cisplatin