The predictive and prognostic roles of LncRNAs in epithelial ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the second leading cause of death among women with gynecological cancers. One of the most significant challenges in treating EOC is drug resistance, which greatly contributes to the disease's poor prognosis. Despite advances in molecular oncology and the initial positive response to primary chemotherapy agents such as carboplatin and paclitaxel, drug resistance remains a major obstacle in the effective management of EOC. Chemotherapy resistance is a key factor driving the high mortality rates associated with this disease. As a result, there is an urgent need for innovative biological markers that can facilitate early diagnosis and more accurately predict the risk of recurrence in ovarian cancer. This thesis investigates the expression profiles of 15 specific long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with EOC and explores their relationship with drug resistance. It also examines the potential of lncRNAs as therapeutic targets in overcoming drug resistance in EOC. Drug-resistant subtypes of aggressive EOC cell lines, including carboplatin/paclitaxel-resistant OVCAR3 and SKOV3 lines, were developed to accomplish this. The expression profiles of the selected lncRNAs were quantitatively compared using RT-qPCR across various ovarian cancer cell lines (parental and resistant cells) and in serum samples from 25 patients before chemotherapy, six months after treatment, and from 23 healthy controls. The study revealed that certain lncRNAs were upregulated in drug-resistant conditions, while others exhibited decreased expression in resistant lines, indicating their involvement in a complex regulatory network. These findings suggest that lncRNAs play a crucial role in developing and treating EOC, as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment stratification. Identifying reliable lncRNA biomarkers could enable the early detection of patients at risk for developing drug resistance, facilitating personalized treatment strategies that may improve patient outcomes and survival rates. Further research is necessary to elucidate the specific molecular pathways through which lncRNAs influence drug resistance, to enhance therapeutic outcomes for ovarian cancer patients.