Dr. Muggia on Combination Treatments in Ovarian Cancer

Franco M. Muggia, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses combination treatments currently being tested for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.

Muggia summarizes 1 study that looked at platinum-resistant patients who received intraperitoneal carboplatin with intraperitoneal bortezomib (Velcade), a proteasome inhibitor. Though this was a small study of approximately 20 patients, there were quite a few positive responses, says Muggia.

He also discusses combinations involving PARP inhibitors, which are quickly becoming a major element of the overall ovarian cancer treatment landscape, with 3 particular agents at the forefront. Olaparib (Lynparza) was approved in 2014 for women with BRCA-positive advanced ovarian cancer following treatment with ≥3 prior lines of chemotherapy. In August 2016, the FDA granted a priority review to rucaparib for patients with BRCA-positive advanced ovarian cancer who have received ≥2 prior lines of chemotherapy. Finally, an application was recently submitted to the FDA for niraparib as a maintenance treatment for women with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Overall, Muggia says the intraperitoneal route appears to naturally lend itself for retreatment in this setting.