Dr Williams on the Importance of Investigating ADCs in Ovarian Cancer

Heather R. Williams, MD, gynecologic oncologist, the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, discusses the importance of further exploring the use of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) in ovarian cancer, specifically highlighting the investigation of mirvetuximab soravtansine in this population.

At an OncLive® State of the Science Summit™, Williams and colleagues from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences each gave presentations on topics spanning gynecologic cancer treatment. Williams presented information on the phase 3 SORAYA trial (NCT04296890) and the phase 3 MIRASOL trial (NCT04209855), in patients with ovarian cancer. The single-arm SORAYA trial investigated the use of mirvetuximab soravtansine inpatients with platinum-resistant disease harboring a high level of folate receptor α (FRα), and the MIRASOL trial evaluated the use of mirvetuximab soravtansine vs investigator's choice of chemotherapy in the same patient population.

Data from both phase 3 trials confirm the tolerability of mirvetuximab soravtansine in patients with FRα-high platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, Williams begins. In the MIRASOL trial, investigators noted that patients’ disease responded better to mirvetuximab soravtansine than to standard chemotherapy, Williams explains.

Heavily pretreated patients with progressive disease, such as those enrolled in SORAYA and MIRASOL, may experience several symptoms that come from their disease itself, rather than from their therapy, Williams notes. Furthermore, chemotherapy is associated with toxicities that lead to significant adverse effects (AEs), she emphasizes.

The treatments patients receive for their ovarian cancer should not be more difficult to tolerate than their disease itself, Williams continues. Mirvetuximab soravtansine, with its tolerable safety profile, addressed this previously unmet need, according to Williams. However, ADCs are associated with AEs that should be watched for, as they are unique from those seen with chemotherapy, Williams says. However, patients respond well to ADCs, and the safety profiles of these agents are not worse than those of other options in the landscape, including standard chemotherapy, Williams concludes.