Dr. LoRusso on PARP Inhibitors in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Patricia LoRusso, DO, professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), associate director, Innovative Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, discusses the role of PARP inhibitors in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

PARP inhibitors are extremely important in BRCA-mutant disease, explains LoRusso. Studies evaluating their role in ovarian cancer have shown that PARP inhibitors can significantly increase the effectiveness of targeted agents.

Prior chemotherapy exposure, even in the adjuvant setting, can actually hinder the efficacy of PARP inhibitors by altering the BRCA mutation and thus restoring the tumor's ability to undergo homologous recombination and repair, says LoRusso.