Heat shock proteins in ovarian cancer: a potential target for therapy

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer in Western countries. Most of the patients are chemosensitive, and they will present a complete response after initial treatment, but most of them will relapse within 2 years. The resistance to standard chemotherapy represents a significant clinical challenge. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the drug resistance should allow to improve the treatment in this disease. Interestingly, recent data showed essential roles of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in various processes of carcinogenesis and their association with resistance to anticancer drugs. Here, we report the main investigations on HSPs in ovarian cancer with specific emphasis on clinical application.