AREG and ovarian cancer: AREG has been shown to have important roles in promoting cancer development and increasing drug resistance.16, 43, 44, 45 AREG was also reported to promote mammospheres formation and mediates self-renewal in an immortal mammary cell line with stem cell characteristics.46 Therefore we decided to further explore the functional roles of AREG and miR-34c-5p in ovarian cancer stemness and drug resistance.