Dr. Swisher on the Implications of the VELIA Trial in Ovarian Cancer

Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, a co-leader of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Program at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, director of Division of Gynecologic Oncology at UW Medicine, and affiliate investigator in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses the implications of the phase III VELIA/GOG-3005 trial in ovarian cancer.

Updated findings from the trial, which were scheduled to be presented during the 2020 SGO Annual Meeting, showed that veliparib (ABT-888) plus chemotherapy led to extended progression-free survival in BRCA wild-type patients with high-grade serous carcinoma regardless of homologous recombination deficiency status.

Additionally, data from the trial demonstrated that the combination was well-tolerated. As such, this regimen is expected to become another frontline maintenance therapy option in this patient population, says Swisher. Moreover, patients who do not respond well to platinum-based chemotherapy may be eligible for this treatment.

It is difficult to compare veliparib/chemotherapy with other frontline maintenance options, says Swisher. Ultimately, these findings are encouraging as they suggest that patients who are platinum-refractory or platinum-resistant may derive benefit from veliparib/chemotherapy. However, additional investigation is needed to flesh out when to utilize this regimen over another, concludes Swisher.