Dr. Burris on the Potential of PARP Inhibitors in TNBC

Howard “Skip” A. Burris, III, MD, chief medical officer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, and a 2014 Giant of Cancer Care^® in Drug Development, discusses the potential of PARP inhibitors in patients with with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Oral PARP inhibitors taken once a day are being used to treat patients with TNBC, particularly those with BRCA mutations, such as inherited germline mutations or somatic mutations.

Some early results in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer have been positive, says Burris, with PARP inhibitors approved in the maintenance setting and in later settings of ovarian cancer.

TNBC clinical trial results have been positive, as this subgroup's molecular genotype makes them sensitive to PARP inhibitors. However, more research needs to be done on how to give these inhibitors in neoadjuvant or later-line settings, says Burris.