Dr. O'Malley Discusses PARP Combinations in Ovarian Cancer

David O'Malley, MD, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses combinations with PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer.

There are multiple phase III trials in the frontline, recurrent, and platinum-sensitive settings investigating combinations of PARP inhibitors with other agents in patients with ovarian cancer. It is difficult to combine PARP inhibitors with classic cytotoxic agents like platinum-based chemotherapy, says O’Malley.

In combination, PARP inhibitors seem to be best tolerated with biologic therapies, O’Malley says. A phase III trial of olaparib (Lynparza) and the angiogenesis inhibitor cediranib has been completed, but results have not been released. In updated findings from a phase II trial of olaparib and cediranib maleate, the combination showed superior progression-free survival versus olaparib alone in patients with BRCA-negative recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

O’Malley says that any patient with ovarian cancer who is eligible for a clinical trial should be enrolled on one.