Advancements in Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma of the Ovary and Peritoneum

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) is a rare form of epithelial ovarian cancer that generally exhibits a protracted course and is less sensitive to chemotherapy than high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Over the past decade, it has become clear that patients with LGSOC have a clinically distinct course and are molecularly and histologically unique from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Endocrine therapy is frequently used for the treatment of patients with recurrent LGSOC and is now also part of the standard upfront treatment of this disease, with an ongoing phase III clinical trial seeking to determine if chemotherapy can be eliminated altogether from the initial treatment of LGSOC. Tumors are frequently found to exhibit alterations affecting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, recently leading to developments in the use of targeted treatments for those patients with recurrent disease. LGSOC is a clinically, histologically, and molecularly unique form of epithelial ovarian cancer. Recent advances in the understanding of endocrine and molecular drivers of this disease have led to changes in both the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent disease, with ongoing studies focused on refining upfront therapy and seeking novel targeted combinations for those patients with recurrent disease.