Patients, whose median age was 58, were enrolled from October 2011 to June 2013. As of March 2014, median progression-free survival was 9.2 months for olaparib and 16.7 months for the combination therapy, which is a significant advantage. The overall rate of toxicity was higher for patients on the combination therapy. Fatigue, diarrhea, and hypertension were the most common toxic effects, all of which were manageable.
"Of particular note is the fact that both drugs used in this trial are in pill form," said Percy Ivy, M.D., associate chief of NCI's Investigational Drug Branch. "Therefore, this therapy could be used anywhere in the world where patients can be monitored for dehydration due to diarrhea side-effects and blood pressure due to hypertension side-effects."
Based on these results, two phase 3 trials are being planned for platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients by one of NCI's new National Cancer Trial Network Groups, the NRG Oncology Group (formerly 3 cooperative groups: the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG).
Dr. Joyce Liu talks about her ovarian cancer research at ASCO 2014.
(Photo Credit: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Dr. Joyce Liu talks about her new research concerning recurrent ovarian cancer.
(Photo Credit: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute