Robert L. Coleman, MD, FACOG, FACS, professor and Ann Rife Cox Chair in Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the next steps of treatment for patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Since there has been an earlier exposure of PARP inhibitors to ovarian cancer, the field is evolving rapidly, says Coleman. Physicians are interested in looking at other FDA-approved drugs in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma in combination with other agents, such as anti-angiogenesis agents and checkpoint inhibitors, in the recurrent space.

For example, the PARP inhibitor veliparib is being explored in combination to determine how the agent best fits in the recurrent ovarian cancer space. In the phase III VELIA trial evaluated veliparib in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. There is much work to be done regarding PARP inhibitors overall, Coleman concludes.