Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 is associated with high-grade serous ovarian cancer metastasis and is reduced in patients who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most prevalent and deadliest subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), killing over 140,000 people annually. Morbidity and mortality are compounded by a lack of screening methods, and recurrence is common. Plasminogen-activator-inhibitor 1 (PAI-1, the protein product of SERPIN E1) is involved in hemostasis, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and tumor cell migration and invasion.

Circulating tumour cells: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

This review is an overview of the current knowledge regarding circulating tumour cells (CTCs), which are potentially the most lethal type of cancer cell, and may be a key component of the metastatic cascade. The clinical utility of CTCs (the "Good"), includes their diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential. Conversely, their complex biology (the "Bad"), including the existence of CD45+/EpCAM+ CTCs, adds insult to injury regarding their isolation and identification, which in turn hampers their clinical translation.