Dr. Garber on the Efficacy of Adjuvant Olaparib in High-Risk, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

Judy Garber, MD, MPH, the chief of the Division for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the efficacy of adjuvant olaparib (Lynparza) in patients with high-risk, HER2-negative breast cancer, as demonstrated in the phase 3 OlympiA trial (NCT00494234).

Results from the trial, which examined the agent as an adjuvant therapy vs placebo in patients with high-risk, HER2-negative breast cancer who harbored germline BRCA1/2 mutations, showed that the addition of 1 year of olaparib improved outcomes, according to Garber.

The primary end point of the trial was invasive disease-free survival, and at median follow-up of 3 years, those outcomes were significantly improved in the olaparib group, with a hazard ratio of 0.58 and a difference of 8.8% between the arms, Garber notes.

These patients are still without invasive disease recurrence, which is a significant finding, Garber explains. Moreover, the response rates exceeded the expectations of investigators, Garber concludes.