Ovarian Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ovarian Cancer, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, information.

c-Met overexpression is a prognostic factor in ovarian cancer and an effective target for inhibition of peritoneal dissemination and invasion.

Sawada K, Radjabi AR, Shinomiya N, Kistner E, Kenny H, Becker AR, Turkyilmaz MA, Salgia R, Yamada SD, Vande Woude GF, Tretiakova MS, Lengyel E

Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Section of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

The hepatocyte growth factor receptor c-Met is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays an important role in tumor growth by activating mitogenic signaling pathways. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of c-Met in the biology of ovarian cancer and to determine its potential as a therapeutic target. c-Met protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in 138 advanced-stage ovarian cancers using a tissue microarray annotated with disease-specific patient follow-up. Fifteen of 138 (11%) tissues had c-Met overexpression. Median survival for patients with high c-Met levels was 17 months versus 32 months (P = 0.001) for patients with low c-Met expression. Infection of SKOV-3ip1 cells with an adenovirus expressing a small interfering RNA (siRNA) against c-Met efficiently inhibited c-Met protein and mRNA expression as well as extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling. It also inhibited adhesion to different extracellular matrix components, human primary mesothelial cells, and full-thickness human peritoneum and, in vivo, to mouse peritoneum. This was paralleled by a significant reduction in alpha(5) and beta(1) integrin protein and mRNA expression as well as a reduction of urokinase and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/MMP-9 activity. In SKOV-3ip1 ovarian cancer xenografts, i.p. treatment with the c-Met siRNA significantly reduced tumor burden, ascites formation, protease activity, and the number of peritoneal implants but not tumor size or angiogenesis. These results suggest that c-Met overexpression is a prognostic factor in ovarian cancer and that targeting c-Met in vivo inhibits peritoneal dissemination and invasion through an alpha(5)beta(1) integrin-dependent mechanism. Therefore, c-Met should be explored further as a therapeutic target in ovarian cancer.

Published 19 February 2007 in Cancer Res, 67(4): 1670-9.
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