Phenoxodiol, a novel approach for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women and is the most lethal of the gynecological malignancies. Thle high mortality rate arises from difficulties in the early detection of the disease and the widespread development of chemoresistance. Phenoxodiol, a novel isoflavone derivative, has demonstrated antitumor activity. In addition, it has been shown to induce cell death in chemoresistant epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, suboptimal exposure of these cells to phenoxodiol lowered the IC50 value of numerous chemotherapeutic agents. In this review, the current understanding of the mechanism of action of phenoxodiol, its potential clinical application for the treatment of ovarian cancer and the concept of chemosensitization are discussed.