STAT3: a crucial target for ovarian cancer stem cells that inhibits WNT signaling through a novel epigenetic mechanism

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal cause of death from gynecological malignancies (1). Most patients are diagnosed with advanced stage of metastatic disease (1). Following surgery and the standard chemotherapy, most patients gain initial complete response (2). However, the majority will eventually have a relapse and die of their disease (2). The overall survival rate remains poor, with the five-year survival rate below 25% for stage III–IV disease (1). Therefore, new regimens targeting the pathways involved in metastasis and chemoresistance is essential to the development of more effective therapies in ovarian cancer.