Dr. Hardesty on Second-Line Maintenance Therapy for Ovarian Cancer

Melissa Hardesty, MD, gynecologic oncologist, Alaska Women’s Cancer Center, discusses second-line maintenance therapy after frontline chemotherapy for patients with ovarian cancer. This is the basis of the OVARIO trial for which she is the lead investigator.

In the phase II single-arm study, patients with advanced ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer were treated with a combination of niraparib (Zejula) and bevacizumab (Avastin) after frontline platinum chemotherapy. The primary endpoint of the 2-year study is efficacy, with secondary focuses on progression-free survival and overall survival.

Hardesty says that most patients receiving chemotherapy alone will experience recurrence, and the average time to relapse is 18 months. Sometimes, she adds, it could be even quicker to recurrence; for example, if a patient has stage IV disease or if they have had a suboptimal surgical procedure.

The OVARIO trial is intended to extend the disease-free interval before second-line systemic therapy with maintenance agents.