In the past two decades, more than 20 viruses with selective tropism for
tumor cells have been developed as oncolytic viruses (OVs) for treatments of a variety of
malignancies. Of these viruses, eleven have been tested in human
ovarian cancer models in preclinical studies. So far, nine phase I or II clinical trials have been conducted or initiated using four different types of OVs in patients with recurrent
ovarian cancers. In this article, we summarize the different OVs that are being assessed as
therapeutics for
ovarian cancer. We also present an overview of recent advances in identification of key genetic or immune-response pathways involved in
tumorigenesis of
ovarian cancer, which provides a better understanding of the
tumor specificities and oncolytic properties of OVs. In addition, we discuss how next-generation OVs could be genetically modified or integrated into multimodality regimens to improve clinical outcomes based on recent advances in
ovarian cancer biology.