Dr. Ledermann Discusses Olaparib in Ovarian Cancer

Jonathan Ledermann, BSc, MD, FRCP, Professor of Medical Oncology in the UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, discusses health-related quality of life during olaparib maintenance therapy in patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed serous ovarian cancer and a BRCA mutation.

Ledermann explains that olaparib is a PARP inhibitor, which is an active group of drugs in patients with ovarian cancer. This agent is particularly active if the patient has platinum-sensitive disease and especially in those that carry a BRCA mutation.

The Study19 Trial was conducted to examine the activity of olaparib in patients who had platinum-sensitive relapsed serous ovarian cancer, Ledermann says. The patients in the trial had a BRCA mutation or had high-grade serous cancer but no mutation. The study showed that there was a highly significant improvement in the progression-free survival in both the patients with the BRCA mutation and the wild-type patients but the greatest benefit was seen in those with the mutation, Ledermann says. ​