Ovarian cancers begin in the fallopian tubes and ovaries of women, and some types of ovarian cancer come about through inherited genetic mutations, or mutations passed down from family members. These mutations could determine the therapies you receive during your treatment. We spoke to Dr. Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, gynecologic oncologist from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, about these hereditary mutations and how they affect PARP inhibitors, an exciting new treatment in ovarian cancer.
According to Dr. Rauh-Hain, “Some of [ovarian] cancers, around 20% of them, have a hereditary component.” This commonly comes in the form of a BRCA mutation, the same genetic mutation that is a risk factor for breast cancer. If an ovarian cancer is caused by a BRCA mutation, then a PARP inhibitor, a treatment that targets cancer cells, could be an effective treatment. Why are women with BRCA mutations most susceptible to PARP inhibitor treatment? Tumor cells with BRCA mutations have problems repairing DNA already, and the PARP inhibitors make that worse, causing cancer cells to die. “What we have seen,” says Dr. Rauh-Hain, “is that if patients have those kind of mutations….if they receive those medications the chances of the cancer coming back are much lower, and the patients that have received those medications actually live longer.”
At one point in treatment are PARP inhibitors used? Until recently, PARP inhibitors have been used for women who have undergone surgery and 4-6 rounds of previous chemotherapy. Emerging data from clinical trials, however, now supports the use of these inhibitors upfront, as part of the initial course of treatment, in patients with BRCA mutations.
Learn more about the side effects of PARP inhibitors here.
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Dr. Rauh-Hain is a Gynecologic Oncologist on staff at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Read More
Ovarian cancers begin in the fallopian tubes and ovaries of women, and some types of ovarian cancer come about through inherited genetic mutations, or mutations passed down from family members. These mutations could determine the therapies you receive during your treatment. We spoke to Dr. Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, gynecologic oncologist from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, about these hereditary mutations and how they affect PARP inhibitors, an exciting new treatment in ovarian cancer.
According to Dr. Rauh-Hain, “Some of [ovarian] cancers, around 20% of them, have a hereditary component.” This commonly comes in the form of a BRCA mutation, the same genetic mutation that is a risk factor for breast cancer. If an ovarian cancer is caused by a BRCA mutation, then a PARP inhibitor, a treatment that targets cancer cells, could be an effective treatment. Why are women with BRCA mutations most susceptible to PARP inhibitor treatment? Tumor cells with BRCA mutations have problems repairing DNA already, and the PARP inhibitors make that worse, causing cancer cells to die. “What we have seen,” says Dr. Rauh-Hain, “is that if patients have those kind of mutations….if they receive those medications the chances of the cancer coming back are much lower, and the patients that have received those medications actually live longer.”
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