DNA Repair Pathway in Ovarian Cancer Patients Treated with HIPEC.

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Molecular Biology
• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Ovarian cancer (OC) often involves peritoneal spread, making hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) combined with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) a relevant treatment approach.
• Understanding DNA repair mechanisms is crucial for improving treatment strategies, preventing chemoresistance, and enhancing patient survival in OC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare DNA repair gene expression in primary OC tumors versus paired peritoneal metastasis tissues.
• To correlate gene expression with overall survival (OS), treatment response, and BRCA1/BRCA2 alterations in patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative real-time PCR was used to analyze the expression of 84 DNA repair genes.
• Samples included primary tumor and matched metastatic tissue from 28 OC patients before HIPEC with cisplatin.
• Analysis considered gene interactions, overall survival, peritoneal carcinomatosis, and treatment response.

Main Results:

• Identified significant gene interactions within primary tumors (e.g., CCNH, XPA, ATR) and metastases (e.g., ATM, ATR, BRCA2).
• A notable correlation was found between low DNA repair gene expression and worse overall survival (OS).

Conclusions:

• Specific DNA repair gene expression patterns differ between primary OC tumors and peritoneal metastases.
• Low expression of DNA repair genes is a potential biomarker for poorer prognosis in OC patients treated with CRS/HIPEC.