TP53 mutations in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Genomic sequencing analyses of a variety of human cancers have revealed that massive mutations of cancer-relevant genes are the major alterations in cancerous cells, and their mutation frequencies or rates are highly associated with the development, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance of cancers as well as their clinical outcomes and prognosis. One predominant genetic alternation in human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the mutation of TP53 that encodes the tumor suppressor p53 protein. This essay will review the most recent progress in understanding the role of TP53 mutations in development, progression, and metastasis of EOC, and discuss the potential of TP53 mutations as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets for EOC.