Ovarian Cancer

Results of a phase I trial demonstrate that the combination of niraparib and bevacizumab (Avastin) can be safely administered to patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer.

Christina M. Annunziata, MD, PhD, has been instrumental in the genomic profiling of ovarian cancers and in elucidating the molecular pathways that are central to this disease.

Genome sequencing studies have uncovered an array of distinct genomic drivers underlying various ovarian cancer subtypes. If researchers can capitalize on these discoveries, it may offer a path to more individualized and effective treatment options.

Although chemotherapy has changed dramatically since it was introduced, platinum-containing combinations remain standard in ovarian cancer. Often, the established regimen can be modified for patients who quite justifiably may fear the toxicities of platinum agents.

Results of an early phase trial show that, for heavily pretreated patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, a first-in-class cancer "stemness" inhibitor that targets the STAT3 pathway was found to demonstrate antitumor activity—and was also found to be well tolerated when combined with paclitaxel.

Leslie M. Randall, MD, associate professor of Gynecology/ Oncology, University of California Irvine, discusses evidence supporting the use of BRCA testing for patients with ovarian cancer.

While BRCA status continues to be a predictive indicator of response to rucaparib for patients with ovarian cancer, loss of genomic heterozygosity was shown to also be an effective biomarker for predicting outcomes.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the optimal first-line treatment for some women with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer.

Robert Coleman, MD a professor in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the importance of BRCA testing for patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Charlie Gourley, PhD, MBChB, discusses the potential use of olaparib (Lynparza) as a maintenance therapy for patients with ovarian cancer.

A phase III trial in ovarian cancer was allowed to continue even as the patients who received the experimental study drug were experiencing strikingly inferior outcomes compared with participants on standard therapy. The lack of answers about this trial remains a glaring example of shortcomings in the research paradigm.

Robert Coleman, MD, and Leslie Randall, MD, provide further insight on the importance of BRCA testing.

Avelumab, a fully human anti–PD-L1 IgG1 antibody, showed activity in patients with heavily pretreated recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer with an acceptable toxicity profile.

Allison W. Kurian, MD, MSc, discusses 2 clinical trials utilizing multigene panels to uncover previously undetected risks in patients with breast and ovarian cancer.

Allison W. Kurian, MD, MSc, associate professor of Medicine and of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses an ongoing trial exploring the association of ovarian cancer risk with mutations detected by multiple-gene germline sequencing in 95,561 women.

Maintenance therapy with niraparib improved progression-free survival compared with placebo for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer harboring a germline BRCA mutation or homologous recombination deficiency.

In patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed serous ovarian cancer, olaparib (Lynparza) was found to significantly increase overall survival when given as maintenance therapy.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is beneficial and tolerable, and physicians should present it as an option to women who have had successful cytoreductive surgery for their advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Intraperitoneal therapy was not superior to intravenous treatment when used in combination with bevacizumab (Avastin) as a regimen for patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

The MEK inhibitor binimetinib failed to improve progression-free survival compared with physician's choice of chemotherapy for patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Three different chemotherapy regimens, each combined with bevacizumab, failed to demonstrate an advantage for patients with advanced ovarian cancer or build on results of a landmark trial reported more than a decade ago.

Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, discusses ongoing developments with olaparib, as well as the overall future of PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer.

An ongoing clinical trial has begun the process of evaluating whether the addition of a booster agent can take the anticancer activity of PD-1 directed immunotherapy to another level.

Shannon Westin, MD, discusses refining the use of PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer by gaining a greater understanding of mechanisms of resistance and exploring combination and sequencing possibilities.

Combining 3 markers of homologous recombination deficiency significantly improved prediction of outcome of platinum-based treatment of ovarian cancer compared with the individual markers, a retrospective analysis of tissue samples showed.