Understanding PARP Inhibitors for Ovarian Cancer
- PARP inhibitors are drugs that work by preventing ovarian cancer cells from repairing damaged DNA and continuing to divide and spread once more
- Data shows most women with ovarian cancer can benefit from PARP inhibitors at some point in the ovarian cancer journey, though they work better if a woman has the BRCA mutation
- Timing options for PARP inhibitors include upfront maintenance, recurrence, and monotherapy
PARP inhibitors can be a beneficial treatment option for almost all women with ovarian cancer. The drugs, which are taken by mouth, work by preventing ovarian cancer cells from repairing damaged DNA and continuing to divide and spread once more.
Recent research has shown that women with ovarian cancer can benefit from PARP inhibitors at some point in their treatment, although the timing of that benefit can vary from patient to patient depending on a number of factors, including her cancer’s genetic profile.
“The PARPs have been a huge importance in treating ovarian cancer, whether it be upfront maintenance for our BRCA patients or a recurrence setting if they’ve had a partial or complete response, and even down the line they can be used as treatment alone,” says Amanda Westwood, a physician assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Westwood describes these different potential options:
- Upfront maintenance: This means receiving PARP inhibitors directly after the first course of chemotherapy. This options is most effective for women whose ovarian cancer tumors have BRCA gene mutations
- Recurrence setting: This option means PARP inhibitors are given after a woman has already had a complete or partial response to treatment in the past
- Monotherapy: Down the line, PARP inhibitors can sometimes be option to use as treatment on their own, the technical term for which is “monotherapy”
After beginning treatment with PARP inhibitors, most women will go in for frequent tests to monitor their tolerance and make sure that the side effects are managed. After a while, these tests may get less frequent.
In terms of side effects, shares that the most common symptom women experience is fatigue, and some may experience a bit of nausea. The drugs may also affect your blood counts, which is why going in for labs during your treatment is important.
“But most of the time, patients tolerate PARP inhibitors fairly well,” Westwood says.
Overall, PARP inhibitors can have a really positive effect on progression-free survival, which means the amount of time that a woman with ovarian cancer can live without their cancer getting worse.
While PARP inhibitors are available to almost all women, women with BRCA gene mutations or who are HRD proficient may benefit the most from these drugs. However, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released new guidelines recommending 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.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Understanding PARP Inhibitors for Ovarian Cancer
- PARP inhibitors are drugs that work by preventing ovarian cancer cells from repairing damaged DNA and continuing to divide and spread once more
- Data shows most women with ovarian cancer can benefit from PARP inhibitors at some point in the ovarian cancer journey, though they work better if a woman has the BRCA mutation
- Timing options for PARP inhibitors include upfront maintenance, recurrence, and monotherapy
PARP inhibitors can be a beneficial treatment option for almost all women with ovarian cancer. The drugs, which are taken by mouth, work by preventing ovarian cancer cells from repairing damaged DNA and continuing to divide and spread once more.
Recent research has shown that women with ovarian cancer can benefit from PARP inhibitors at some point in their treatment, although the timing of that benefit can vary from patient to patient depending on a number of factors, including her cancer’s genetic profile.
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“The PARPs have been a huge importance in treating ovarian cancer, whether it be upfront maintenance for our BRCA patients or a recurrence setting if they’ve had a partial or complete response, and even down the line they can be used as treatment alone,” says
Amanda Westwood, a physician assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Westwood describes these different potential options:
- Upfront maintenance: This means receiving PARP inhibitors directly after the first course of chemotherapy. This options is most effective for women whose ovarian cancer tumors have BRCA gene mutations
- Recurrence setting: This option means PARP inhibitors are given after a woman has already had a complete or partial response to treatment in the past
- Monotherapy: Down the line, PARP inhibitors can sometimes be option to use as treatment on their own, the technical term for which is “monotherapy”
After beginning treatment with PARP inhibitors, most women will go in for frequent tests to monitor their tolerance and make sure that the side effects are managed. After a while, these tests may get less frequent.
In terms of side effects, shares that the most common symptom women experience is fatigue, and some may experience a bit of nausea. The drugs may also affect your blood counts, which is why going in for labs during your treatment is important.
“But most of the time, patients tolerate PARP inhibitors fairly well,” Westwood says.
Overall, PARP inhibitors can have a really positive effect on progression-free survival, which means the amount of time that a woman with ovarian cancer can live without their cancer getting worse.
While PARP inhibitors are available to almost all women, women with BRCA gene mutations or who are HRD proficient may benefit the most from these drugs. However, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released new guidelines recommending 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.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
