Dr. Crane on the Benefit of Maintenance PARP Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer

Erin K. Crane, MD, MPH, a gynecologic oncologist at Levine Cancer Institute, of Atrium Health, discusses the benefit of maintenance PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer.

The phase 3 SOLO-1 trial proved that maintenance PARP inhibitors should be the standard of care for patients with ovarian cancer who harbor somatic or genomic BRCA mutations, according to Crane. Although overall survival data are not yet available for this trial, the most updated findings for progression-free survival was 56 months with olaparib (Lynparza) versus 13.9 months with placebo in this population, says Crane.

The role of maintenance therapy for patients with ovarian cancer is 2-fold: it helps to decrease the risk of disease recurrence and extend the duration of time before recurrence. Although OS data have not been finalized, the field is hopeful that maintenance therapy may be effective in preventing recurrence, says Crane. This patient population can have a good quality of life following treatment before they need to go on subsequent therapies; this approach possesses potential to extend the time to next treatment, Crane concludes.