Dr. Cohen on the Efficacy of PARP Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer

Joshua G. Cohen, MD, FACOG, FACS, an assistant professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and gynecologic oncologist at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, discusses the efficacy of PARP inhibitors in patients with ovarian cancer.

When looking at recent clinical trials that have read out in ovarian cancer, the hazard ratios have been very impressive with some of the targeted agents analyzed, Cohen says. These agents have been particularly beneficial in patients with somatic or germline BRCA1/2 mutations. In these subgroup, a median progression-free survival (PFS) benefit of 12 months to 24 months has been reported. Such a benefit has been unheard of in the current treatment paradigm comprised of platinum-based chemotherapy, according to Cohen.

In the phase 3 ENGOT-OV16/NOVA study, which examined the efficacy of niraparib (Zejula) maintenance therapy in patients with platinum-sensitive, recurrent ovarian cancer, patients who had a BRCA mutation experienced a median PFS of 21 months compared with 5.5 months in those who did not receive a maintenance PARP inhibitor, concludes Cohen.