Dr. Secord on Frontline Maintenance Therapy in Ovarian Cancer

Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Duke Cancer Center, discusses key takeaways from clinical trials that have evaluated frontline maintenance strategies in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

It is very important to be aware of all the new studies that are being presented. Specifically, the results of the phase III PAOLA-1, PRIMA, and VELIA trials which were presented at the 2019 ESMO Congress. It is also important to understand the data even though the drugs have yet to receive regulatory approval, says Secord.

Notably, each trial enrolled a slightly different patient population which is important to consider when determining the best option for patients. Currently, patients who have a germline or somatic BRCA1/2 mutation or women with homologous recombination deficiency, based on the PRIMA trial, appear to derive benefit from PARP inhibitors. It’s not clear whether patients who do not have these biomarkers will benefit from PARP inhibitors, says Secord. Further analysis of the data are needed in order to make that determination. Another factor is the physical and financial toxicities of each drug, concludes Secord.