The role of Toll-like receptors in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of death in gynecological malignancies in western countries. Chemoresistance represents a major issue and a better understanding of the interactions that take place within the tumor microenvironment is needed, such as the connection between inflammation and cancer. Toll like receptors (TLRs) are part of the basic mechanisms that are involved in the activation of the innate immune system, with extensive activation of various transcription factors, that subsequently lead to an adaptive immune response, making them key players that modulate the inflammatory response and tumor dynamics. In the same time, activation of TLRs on OC cells can lead to a different type of response that favors an aggressive phenotype and tumor progression. Herein, we review the recent evidence towards the role of TLRs in OC and the therapeutic strategies that have already commenced.