Dr. Anders on the Lessons Learned From the OlympiA Trial in BRCA-Mutated Breast Cancer

Carey K. Anders, MD, professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, medical oncologist, medical director, Brain and Spine Metastases Program, Duke Cancer Center, Duke Health, discusses lessons learned from the phase 3 OlympiA trial (NCT02032823) in BRCA-mutated breast cancer.

The results of the OlympiA trial demonstrated that adjuvant olaparib (Lynparza) improved invasive or distant disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with high-risk, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer who harbored germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants.

The population included in the study was largely comprised of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, patients with hormone receptor (HR)–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer were also included.

Several notable points from the study should be taken into consideration when utilizing olaparib in this patient population, Anders explains. For example, patients with TNBC did not receive capecitabine (Xeloda) or immunotherapy in the adjuvant setting. However, in clinical practice most patients with residual disease following neoadjuvant therapy would receive capecitabine or immunotherapy, Anders adds. Additionally, patients with HR-positive disease received olaparib in combination with endocrine therapy, Anders concludes.