ASCO 2018: Dr. Birrer on Practice-Changing Ovarian Cancer Studies

Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, director, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses some pivotal ovarian cancer studies presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.

There were a number of studies presented at the conference that centered around the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab (Avastin), says Birrer. Results of the phase III MITO16B-MaNGO OV2B-ENGOT OV17 study showed that patients with ovarian cancer benefited from bevacizumab as a later-line option, even if they previously received it in their treatment course. Improvements were seen in progression-free survival.

These findings were presented just prior to the FDA approving bevacizumab for use in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, followed by bevacizumab monotherapy, for the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer following initial surgical resection.

PARP inhibitors are another class of agents demonstrating efficacy in ovarian cancer patient populations. The future of them, Birrer explains, is that they are being added to several agents, such as immunotherapy, for the treatment of these patients. PARP inhibitors are here to say, he adds, and will likely be moved up earlier in treatment settings.