Dr. Rafii Discusses Clinical Outcomes With Olaparib in Patients with Ovarian Cancer

Saeed Rafii, MD, PhD, MRCP, medical director, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses factors that influence clinical outcomes to olaparib in patients with BRCA1/2-mutant ovarian cancer.

Not all patients with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer respond to treatment with olaparib, or they may have short duration of responses, Rafii explains. A study at seven institutions sought to determine baseline factors that may predict response to the PARP inhibitor.

Data showed that patients who had longer intervals between platinum chemotherapy and olaparib had higher response rates than patients with shorter intervals. Also, patients with fewer lines of treatment had a higher likelihood of responding to olaparib compared with patients with more advanced disease and more lines of treatment.

Further research is needed to determine if starting a patient on olaparib at the beginning of a treatment plan would have a greater benefit, Rafii adds.