After a woman is given initial treatment, many of them will go intro remission (about 80%), but unfortunately, about 70-80% of those women will experience a cancer recurrence. Doctors have been trying for a long time to find a way to keep the disease from returning, a phase of treatment called maintenance therapy. After years of studying different drugs, a recent major study found some really encouraging results.
The study — called PRIMA — was revealed at one of the biggest cancer meetings in the world, and could make an important difference for women who have just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A class of drugs called PARP Inhibitors may become part of initial treatment for a huge number of women battling the disease.
The study found that women who took a PARP inhibitor drug called niraparib (also called Zejula) right after their chemotherapy at the beginning of their treatment regimen lived about five and a half months longer without their cancer getting any worse than the women who did not take Zejula. And for women who had a genetic characteristic in their ovarian cancer called “homologous recombination deficiency,” the benefit in progression-free survival was even bigger — about 22 months, compared with about 10 and a half months for those who didn’t take Zejula.
The study was especially significant because previously, it was thought that only women with a BRCA mutation would benefit from taking PARP inhibitors right after their initial treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration has now approved niraparib for almost all women regardless of whether they have the BRCA mutation, as part of an initial course of treatment, or what’s called front-line treatment. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines recommend PARP inhibitors be offered to women, with or without genetic mutations, who are newly diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer and have improved with chemotherapy.
The PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib) is approved for women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer and with a germline or somatic mutation in BRCA1/2. Lynparza is also approved in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab) for women with HRD. Avastin is a blood vessel growth inhibitor, which works by starving the tumor of vital nutrients needed to grow.
For women with ovarian cancer who have had a recurrence and responded to platinum-based chemotherapy, Lynparza, Zejula and another PARP inhibitor called Rubraca (rucaparib) are FDA approved for use as a maintenance therapy, regardless of whether a woman has a BRCA mutation or HRD.
For some women who have had prior chemotherapy treatments, Rubraca, Zejula or Lynparza may also be options. These uses are based on factors such as number of prior therapies and BRCA mutation or HRD.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Colleen McCormick is a gynecologic oncologist with Legacy Cancer Institute. Read More
After a woman is given initial treatment, many of them will go intro remission (about 80%), but unfortunately, about 70-80% of those women will experience a cancer recurrence. Doctors have been trying for a long time to find a way to keep the disease from returning, a phase of treatment called maintenance therapy. After years of studying different drugs, a recent major study found some really encouraging results.
The study — called PRIMA — was revealed at one of the biggest cancer meetings in the world, and could make an important difference for women who have just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A class of drugs called PARP Inhibitors may become part of initial treatment for a huge number of women battling the disease.
Read More The study found that women who took a PARP inhibitor drug called niraparib (also called Zejula) right after their chemotherapy at the beginning of their treatment regimen lived about five and a half months longer without their cancer getting any worse than the women who did not take Zejula. And for women who had a genetic characteristic in their ovarian cancer called “homologous recombination deficiency,” the benefit in progression-free survival was even bigger — about 22 months, compared with about 10 and a half months for those who didn’t take Zejula.
The study was especially significant because previously, it was thought that only women with a BRCA mutation would benefit from taking PARP inhibitors right after their initial treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration has now approved niraparib for almost all women regardless of whether they have the BRCA mutation, as part of an initial course of treatment, or what’s called front-line treatment. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines recommend PARP inhibitors be offered to women, with or without genetic mutations, who are newly diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer and have improved with chemotherapy.
The PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib) is approved for women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer and with a germline or somatic mutation in BRCA1/2. Lynparza is also approved in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab) for women with HRD. Avastin is a blood vessel growth inhibitor, which works by starving the tumor of vital nutrients needed to grow.
For women with ovarian cancer who have had a recurrence and responded to platinum-based chemotherapy, Lynparza, Zejula and another PARP inhibitor called Rubraca (rucaparib) are FDA approved for use as a maintenance therapy, regardless of whether a woman has a BRCA mutation or HRD.
For some women who have had prior chemotherapy treatments, Rubraca, Zejula or Lynparza may also be options. These uses are based on factors such as number of prior therapies and BRCA mutation or HRD.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Colleen McCormick is a gynecologic oncologist with Legacy Cancer Institute. Read More
