1. This phase 3 trial of olaparib plus bevacizumab showed a significant progression-free survival benefit for ovarian cancer maintenance therapy.
2. The progression-free survival benefit was greater in patients with BRCA-positive and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) positive tumors.
Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)
Study Rundown: Due to the late diagnosis of advanced-stage ovarian cancer, a majority of patients experience a relapse after 10 to 18 months, even after treatment with surgery and chemotherapy. Current maintenance therapy includes the option of bevacizumab alone. Upcoming trials are exploring PARP (polyadenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase) inhibitors which target tumors with homologous-recombination deficiency (HRD), present in about 50% of high-grade serous ovarian tumors. This randomized phase 3 trial of olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, explored the effects of olaparib plus bevacizumab on progression-free survival. Participants with newly diagnosed, advanced, high-grade ovarian cancer were assigned in a 2:1 ratio to either receive olaparib at a dose of 300mg twice daily) or placebo between 3 to 9 weeks after the last chemotherapy.. Olaparib plus bevacizumab had an overall median progression-free survival of 22.1 months, as compared to 16.6 months with placebo plus bevacizumab. Disease progression and death rates were lower for those with BRCA-positive and HRD-positive tumors. Olaparib plus bevacizumab offered increased survival and decrease in relapse, especially in those with BRCA-positive and HRD-positive tumors. Future research should focus on determining long-term effects of this drug combination.
Click to read the study in NEJM
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