Association of common glutathione transferase polymorphisms with ovarian cancer risk and chemoresistance

Ovarian cancer is regarded as the most lethal gynecological cancer with a five-year survival below 45%. It represents the seventh most common cancer among women. Due to the limited availability of biomarkers and reliable screening methods for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer, much research is being conducted to explore and understand the factors that may increase the risk of developing this kind of cancer. When surgery and chemotherapy treatments have been fully utilized, the development of chemoresistance becomes a critical factor in the progression of the disease. Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are a group of enzymes that play a role in the process of detoxification. Genes that code for GSTs proteins exhibit polymorphism, which can lead to either total or partial loss of enzymatic function. Cytosolic GST activity is composed of many different isoenzymes that facilitate interactions between glutathione and hazardous chemicals, including cancerogenes, anticancer drugs and byproducts of oxidative stress. The scope of this review is to clarify the association of common GST polymorphisms with ovarian cancer risk and chemoresistance.