Antioxidants and Therapeutic Targets in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma

Ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCCs) are resistant to conventional anti-cancer drugs; moreover, the prognoses of advanced or recurrent patients are extremely poor. OCCCs often arise from endometriosis associated with strong oxidative stress. Of note, the stress involved in OCCCs can be divided into the following two categories: (a) carcinogenesis from endometriosis to OCCC and (b) factors related to treatment after carcinogenesis. Antioxidants can reduce the risk of OCCC formation by quenching reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, the oxidant stress-tolerant properties assist in the survival of OCCC cells when the malignant transformation has already occurred. Moreover, the acquisition of oxidative stress resistance is also involved in the cancer stemness of OCCC. This review summarizes the recent advances in the process and prevention of carcinogenesis, the characteristic nature of tumors, and the treatment of post-refractory OCCCs, which are highly linked to oxidative stress. Although therapeutic approaches should still be improved against OCCCs, multi-combinatorial treatments including nucleic acid-based drugs directed to the transcriptional profile of each OCCC are expected to improve the outcomes of patients.