According to the findings, adding poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib to bevacizumab extended progression-free survival (PFS) in women with advanced stage ovarian cancer, with or without a BRCA mutation.
More women benefit from a more intensive maintenance regimen for ovarian cancer that includes a targeted therapy, according to study findings coming out of the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2019 being held September 27-October 1 in Barcelona, Spain.
According to the findings, adding poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib to bevacizumab extended progression-free survival (PFS) in women with advanced stage ovarian cancer, with or without a BRCA mutation.
Currently, the standard of care for most patients with newly diagnosed advanced disease is surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab and then followed by bevacizumab alone.
“After decades of studying different chemotherapy approaches, it is the first time we have meaningfully prolonged progression free survival and hopefully we will improve long-term outcomes,” said Ana Oaknin, MD, principal investigator, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, in a statement.
Results came from the PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 trial, which is the first phase 3 trial to explore the safety and efficacy of combining and PARP inhibitor with bevacizumab as first-line maintenance therapy in patients with ovarian cancer with and without the BRCA mutation.
The trial consisted of just over 800 patients who had either partial or complete response to standard platinum-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab. While some patients in the study continued on to receive bevacizumab and placebo, others received the combination of bevacizumab and olaparib. Patients received olaparib for up to 24 months and bevacizumab for 15 months.
Over a median follow-up of 24 months in the olaparib arm and 22.7 months in the placebo arm, the combination regimen produced a median PFS of 22.1 months compared with a median PFS of 16.6 months among those taking bevacizumab and placebo.
“This study reports the greatest hazard ratio (0.59) and longest progress free survival we have ever seen,” Isabelle Ray-Coquard, MD, PhD, Centre Leon Berard, Universite Claude Bernard, Lyon, and president of the GINECO group France, said in a statement. She added that compared with other trials that started randomization with the first cycle of chemotherapy, the current study started a median 6 weeks after the last cycle.
The PFS benefit associated with adding the PARP inhibitor to bevacizumab was even more significant in patients who exhibited a BRCA mutation, as well as in those with homologous recombination deficiency. Among these patients, PFS extended beyond 3 years (37.2 months).
Notably, adding olaparib to the treatment regimen did not increase side effects compared with placebo.
Oaknin argued that the results of the study should become a new standard of care for patients with advanced disease and that the trial is a significant step forward in treatment for the patient population.
Congress Urged to Repeal Comstock Act Threatening Reproductive Rights and Public Health
May 16th 2024In a joint letter addressed to Congress, Healthcare Across Borders, Take Back the Court Action Fund, and UltraViolet Action called out the resurgence of the Comstock Act, urging immediate action to repeal this century-old law that threatens reproductive rights and public health in the US.
Read More
Addressing Maternal Mortality in Medicaid by Focusing on Mental Health
February 15th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Inland Empire Health Plan, a managed care plan serving more than 1.4 million residents on Medi-Cal in California, about a new maternal mental health program aimed at supporting new mothers, both before they give birth and afterward.
Listen
Shelly Lanning on How Employers Can Reduce Costs by Bridging Gaps in Women's Health Care
May 3rd 2024In a presentation at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health Women’s Health Summit, Shelly Lanning, cofounder and president of Visana Health, addressed the need for comprehensive approaches in women’s health care and their coverage options.
Read More
For National Women’s Health Week, One Company Emphasizes Cardiovascular Risk Management
May 10th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Joanne Armstrong, MD, MPH, vice president and chief medical officer for Women’s Health and Genomics at CVS Health, on the distinct pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease in women and how her own health experiences have influenced her perspective on cardiovascular disease management.
Listen
The HHS Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether patient data were exposed in the cyberattack on Change Healthcare; a new study claims that the US’ high maternal mortality rates are the product of flawed data; HHS secretary is open to drug testing recipients of welfare.
Read More