Enhanced activation of STAT3 in ascites-derived recurrent ovarian tumors: inhibition of cisplatin-induced STAT3 activation reduced tumorigenicity of ovarian cancer by a loss of cancer stem cell-like characteristics

Abstract

Chemotherapy resistance is a major obstacle for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients. Combination of drugs which can exert synergistic effect can be a promising strategy to overcome this resistance. In this study, we report significantly enhanced activation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and its downstream target signal transducer and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3) in tumor cells isolated from the ascites of recurrent ovarian cancer patients (CR) compared to tumor cells isolated from the ascites of chemonaïve patients (CN). Enhanced activation of JAK2 and STAT3 in the tumor cells of recurrent patients coincided with the in vitro activation of JAK2 and STAT3 pathway in cisplatin-survivin..