Dr. Chern on Opportunities for PARP Combinations in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

Jing-Yi Chern, MD, ScM, a gynecologic oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses efforts being made to combine PARP inhibitors with chemotherapy and immunotherapy in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Chemotherapy will likely continue to be the standard of care for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, but as recurrence occurs in shorter intervals, it is important to look for the opportunity to incorporate PARP inhibition and immunotherapy into treatment regimens, Chern explains. For example, the phase 3 JAVELIN OVARIAN 100 trial (NCT02718417) treated patients with immunotherapy in the recurrent setting, although the trial did not meet its primary end point; this may indicate that a combination regimen is necessary, Chern adds. 

Ongoing studies seek to determine which additional agents are needed. For example, the phase 2 QUADRA trial (NCT02354586) will examine the efficacy of PARP inhibitors in patients with recurrent disease who had previously received treatment with chemotherapy. Early results from the trial have demonstrated benefit with this approach, Chern adds. More trials will be needed to determine the optimal combination regimen with the greatest benefit, Chern concludes.