Genetic markers for prediction of treatment outcomes in ovarian cancer

Drug resistance in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) limits the efficacy of therapies for this malignancy. This phenomenon might be partially explained by strong inter-individual genomic heterogeneity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in specific genes involved in platinum-based drugs inactivation and the metabolism and extrusion of taxanes could be relevant in terms of drugs response prediction. In this paper, we review candidates for genetic markers of treatment outcomes in ovarian cancer. Although an association between SNPs and response to chemotherapy has been detected in several studies, no clear conclusions can be drawn because of conflicting results. Genetic variants in determining response to chemotherapy and clinical outcome need to be clarified in EOC to allow stratification of patients, which would help optimize therapy.