Role of Cancer-Associated fibroblast in the pathogenesis of ovarian Cancer: Focus on the latest therapeutic approaches

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the seventh most common malignancy in women globally. This type of cancer can occur at any age, but it is more frequent in women over 50 and is usually diagnosed late. Despite platinum-based chemotherapy and optimal cytoreductive surgery, OC cells tend to metastasize, and patients with OC experience recurrent relapses and poor prognosis. Therefore, the emergence of novel therapies is essential for treating these patients. On the other hand, it has been shown that the tumor microenvironment (TME) and its components play an important role in the pathogenesis of OC. One of these components is cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF), which is involved in the growth and development of tumor cells by inducing tumor cells growth, proliferation, angiogenesis and inhibiting anti-tumor responses. Due to the importance of these cells in the TME, various therapeutic approaches such as direct targeting of CAFs, reprogramming of CAFs, and CAF-associated genes and molecules targeting have been suggested for OC treatment. This review summarizes the role of CAFs in the pathogenesis of OC and therapeutic approaches based on the mentioned therapeutic approaches.