The Facts: PARP Inhibitors For Ovarian Cancer
- PARP inhibitors are drugs that work by preventing ovarian cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA, preventing the cells from replicating.
- Due to recent approvals, almost all women are eligible to receive PARP inhibitors as part of their initial treatment plan or to manage recurrence.
- PARP inhibitors can increase survival for some patients, and can improve their quality of life.
PARP inhibitors are drugs that work by preventing cancer cells from repairing their DNA, which can get damaged during a course of chemotherapy treatment. Taken orally, they help stop cancer cells from recovering and spreading. PARP inhibitors have been available for a few years, but the pool of patients who are eligible to use them has been expanding greatly. Now, almost all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are eligible to receive a PARP inhibitor at some point during their treatment.
That’s great news, and reason for hope.
New data shows that, for patients whose cancer has returned, PARP inhibitors have been quite impressive in improving their progression-free survival, meaning the amount of time they can live without their cancer getting worse, according to Dr. Melissa Geller, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Minnesota Health Cancer Care.
While initially, women with a BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 genetic mutation had been shown to respond especially well to PARP inhibitors after recurrence, newer research has shown that women with the BRCA gene mutation (and indeed almost all women), can consider using PARP inhibitors throughout their treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration has now approved niraparib (brand name ZEJULA) 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.
Most recently, 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.
However, Dr. Amanika Kumar of the Mayo Clinic who spoke to SurvivorNet, cautioned that women still need to speak with their doctor to evaluate the benefit of taking a PARP inhibitor to extend life, because there are very real side effects due to the toxicity of the drug. “Patients with HRD (homologous recombination deficiency) have a far better response than those without and those with BRCA mutations even more so. It is on us as clinicians to help patients understand the risks and benefits of treatment. Patients that have no mutation or HRD may choose not to go on maintenance (in fact I recommend they don’t) because there is real toxicity to these meds.”
Three different PARP inhibitors have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These largely act in the same way, but come with different side effects. With FDA approval, more health insurance companies are covering the considerable cost of these drugs than in the past, says Dr. Geller. And if a patient is unable to get them covered, drug manufacturers offer programs where patients can apply for help with their costs.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Melissa Geller is a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Minnesota. Read More
The Facts: PARP Inhibitors For Ovarian Cancer
- PARP inhibitors are drugs that work by preventing ovarian cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA, preventing the cells from replicating.
- Due to recent approvals, almost all women are eligible to receive PARP inhibitors as part of their initial treatment plan or to manage recurrence.
- PARP inhibitors can increase survival for some patients, and can improve their quality of life.
PARP inhibitors are drugs that work by preventing cancer cells from repairing their DNA, which can get damaged during a course of chemotherapy treatment. Taken orally, they help stop cancer cells from recovering and spreading. PARP inhibitors have been available for a few years, but the pool of patients who are eligible to use them has been expanding greatly. Now, almost all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are eligible to receive a PARP inhibitor at some point during their treatment.
That’s great news, and reason for hope.
Read More New data shows that, for patients whose cancer has returned, PARP inhibitors have been quite impressive in improving their progression-free survival, meaning the amount of time they can live without their cancer getting worse, according to
Dr. Melissa Geller, a gynecologic oncologist at the
University of Minnesota Health Cancer Care.
While initially, women with a BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 genetic mutation had been shown to respond especially well to PARP inhibitors after recurrence, newer research has shown that women with the BRCA gene mutation (and indeed almost all women), can consider using PARP inhibitors throughout their treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration has now approved niraparib (brand name ZEJULA) 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.
Most recently, 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.
However, Dr. Amanika Kumar of the Mayo Clinic who spoke to SurvivorNet, cautioned that women still need to speak with their doctor to evaluate the benefit of taking a PARP inhibitor to extend life, because there are very real side effects due to the toxicity of the drug. “Patients with HRD (homologous recombination deficiency) have a far better response than those without and those with BRCA mutations even more so. It is on us as clinicians to help patients understand the risks and benefits of treatment. Patients that have no mutation or HRD may choose not to go on maintenance (in fact I recommend they don’t) because there is real toxicity to these meds.”
Three different PARP inhibitors have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These largely act in the same way, but come with different side effects. With FDA approval, more health insurance companies are covering the considerable cost of these drugs than in the past, says Dr. Geller. And if a patient is unable to get them covered, drug manufacturers offer programs where patients can apply for help with their costs.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Melissa Geller is a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Minnesota. Read More
