Gynecologic Oncology

The European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended approval of olaparib as a frontline maintenance treatment for patients with BRCA-mutant advanced high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Britta Weigelt, PhD, discusses germline and somatic mutations in ovarian cancer that confer potential implications on treatment decisions, as well as those that carry an added cancer risk.

Paul Sabbatini, MD, clarifies where the field stands regarding the use of bevacizumab, intraperitoneal therapy, and a 3-week dosing schedule of chemotherapy versus a weekly dose-dense regimen in the frontline setting of newly diagnosed ovarian cancer.

Mario M. Leitao Jr, MD, FACOG, FACS, fellowship director, gynecology service, director, Minimal Access and Robotic Surgery Program, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses patient eligibility for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer.

David Cibula, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at the Gynaecologic Center of Charles University, discusses a trial that examined the addition of dendritic cell-based immunotherapy to chemotherapy in patients with relapsed ovarian cancer.

Ghanshyam Yadav, MD, first-year resident, Baylor College of Medicine, discusses the combination of olaparib (Lynparza) and neratinib (Nerlyx) in patients with HER2-overexpressing uterine serous carcinoma.

Kathleen G. Essel, MD, gynecologic oncology fellow, Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma, discusses repeat exposure to PARP inhibitors in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.

Considering the decades of clinical investigation involving cytotoxic therapy of malignant disease, it is remarkable— even disconcerting—just how little is understood about the optimal delivery of this critical cancer treatment strategy.

Sarah Ferguson, MD, FRCSC, associate professor of gynecologic oncology, University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, discusses a population-based study of women with cervical cancer undergoing radical hysterectomy.

An updated guideline (version 1.2019) from the NCCN for the management of ovarian cancer recommends specific PARP inhibitors for the treatment of recurrent disease, describes patient selection criteria for each agent, and establishes criteria for PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy.

Ana Oaknin, MD, principal investigator, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Gynecological Malignancies Group, head of Gynecologic Tumors Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, discusses the phase I/II GARNET trial in patients with endometrial cancer.

David S. Hong, MD, deputy director of the Department of investigational Cancer Therapeutics and associate vice president of clinical research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the promising results of the phase II innovaTV 201 study, in which tisotumab vedotin was used to treat patients with previously treated recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

Treatment with neratinib led to a clinical benefit rate of 54.5% in patients with HER2-mutant cervical cancer.

Lenvatinib in combination with weekly paclitaxel induced activity among those with recurrent endometrial and platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer, resulting in a 65% overall response rate.

Emese Zsiros, MD, PhD, discusses the results of her recent phase II trial that set out to evaluate the use of pembrolizumab in combination with bevacizumab and oral metronomic cyclophosphamide in the treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Although the therapeutic utility of lymphadenectomy is uncertain, it continues to provide information for staging and helps to guide postoperative adjuvant treatment for patients with endometrial cancer.

The immediate future of clinical investigation in ovarian cancer is remarkably exciting, with a number of novel agents and combination strategies currently being examined in multiple clinical trials.

Susana Campos, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses differences between PARP inhibitors in recurrent ovarian cancer.

Kristen N. Ganjoo, MD, associate professor of medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford Medicine, discusses the treatment of patients with metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma.

Suzanne George, MD, director of Clinical Research, Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and an associate professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, discusses ongoing trials in soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

Although there have been numerous studies evaluating the role of different therapy schedules, cytotoxic agents, and routes of administration in ovarian cancer, the backbone of therapy remains a combination of a platinum and a taxane.

Amer Karam, MD, associate clinical professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Stanford Hospital and director of Robotic Surgery and Outreach in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Stanford Medicine, discusses the use of laparoscopy in advanced ovarian cancer.

Huma Q. Rana, MD, discusses the evolution of genetic testing in ovarian cancer and the genes that are associated with an increased risk of subsequent cancer development.

Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, highlights available and emerging treatment options and strategies for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Diana P. English, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, discusses an investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in ovarian cancer.