Dr. Markman on Combination Treatments in Ovarian Cancer

Combination therapies, particularly in the treatment landscape of ovarian cancer, are somewhat complicated, says Markman. Several questions remain regarding whether to administer agents at the same to patients, or to sequence them. If one sequences them, the question becomes: which drug should be given first? Moreover, maintenance approaches require more research, as well.

The good news, he says, is that there are generally not many patients with ovarian cancer, especially compared with the population of patients with lung cancer. While this is considered a good thing, it presents difficulties from a clinical trials perspective, Markman explains. With such a limited population, these lingering questions regarding combination approaches, biomarkers, and more continue to go unanswered.

It is key, then, to develop "great" clinical trials. According to Markman, an optimal clinical trial is one that patients genuinely want to participate in, and is one that will quickly and definitively answer the right questions.