WOMEN IN CANCER THEMATIC REVIEW: Ovarian cancer–peritoneal cell interactions promote extracellular matrix processing

Ovarian cancer has a distinct tendency for metastasising via shedding of cancerous cells into the peritoneal cavity and implanting onto the peritoneum that lines the pelvic organs. Once ovarian cancer cells adhere to the peritoneal cells, they migrate through the peritoneal layer and invade the local organs. Alterations in the extracellular environment are critical for tumour initiation, progression and intra-peritoneal dissemination. To increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in ovarian cancer metastasis and to identify novel therapeutic targets, we recently studied the interaction of ovarian cancer and peritoneal cells using a proteomic approach. We identified several extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including, fibronectin, TGFBI, periostin, annexin A2 and PAI-1 that were processed as a result of the ovarian cancer–peritoneal cell interaction. This review focuses on the functional role of these proteins in ovarian cancer metastasis. Our findings together with published literature support the notion that ECM processing via the plasminogen–plasmin pathway promotes the colonisation and attachment of ovarian cancer cells to the peritoneum and actively contributes to the early steps of ovarian cancer metastasis.