Dr. Morgan on the Role of PARP Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer

Alicia Morgan, MD, Mather Hospital, discusses the role of PARP inhibitors for patients with prostate cancer.

According to Morgan, PARP inhibitors are a fascinating targeted therapy in prostate cancer. Both medical oncologists and urologists need to consider who should receive these drugs. They do have some toxicities—they can make patients tired, and have other effects on bone marrow suppression.

Any treatment that is used, especially a targeted treatment, says Morgan, should attempt to target the right population to understand that population more clearly and thoroughly. Using these agents in those who will respond can go a long way toward improving outcomes in patients with prostate cancer.

Currently, there is an ongoing phase III trial (NCT02987543) investigating the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) versus enzalutamide (Xtandi) or abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) in patients who have failed prior treatment with a new hormonal agent and have homologous recombination repair gene mutations.

Approximately 340 patients will be randomized 2:1 to either the olaparib arm or the enzalutamide/abiraterone arm, respectively. The primary results of this study are expected to be seen in 2020.