Ovarian Cancer

As an add-on to bevacizumab, carboplatin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin significantly extended progression-free survival compared with carboplatin and gemcitabine in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer whose first disease recurrence was >6 months after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Groundbreaking developments in cancer therapies can change lives, extending survival and sending patients who previously thought their chances were slim into remission. But these therapies come at a cost, and many patients reel at the prospect of heavy financial burdens. To help patients and programs meet the challenges of affording cancer treatments, community cancer centers are expanding the role of financial advocates in their organizations.

Thomas A. Gallo, MS, MDA, president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, discusses his mission as president to “reflect, renew, and reignite” in order to create a more resilient oncology team for the community.

Frontline maintenance therapy with olaparib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival for women with&nbsp;<em>BRCA</em>-positive advanced ovarian cancer.

Larotrectinib induced an objective response rate of 80% in patients with advanced solid tumors who harbored&nbsp;<em>NTRK&nbsp;</em>gene fusions, according to results pooled from 3 small trials of the TRK inhibitor. Results were presented during the 2018 ESMO Congress.

Rising prescription drug prices continue to add to the burden of paying for quality healthcare. In an effort to confront such costs, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services has rescinded a prohibition on step therapy for Medicare Advantage plans. But some contend such a policy will reduce patient access to optimal medication.

Douglas A. Levine, MD, has suggested that many cases of ovarian cancer are preventable, especially in the case of women with hereditary mutations that lead to an increased risk for developing the disease.

Combining the PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab with the CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab led to superior survival rates compared to treatment with nivolumab alone in patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian cancer, according to findings from the phase II NRG-GY003 trial.

Matthew Powell, MD, discusses the promise of immunotherapy in ovarian cancer, despite its challenges.

David O&rsquo;Malley, MD, lead investigator of the FORWARD II trial,&nbsp;discusses the emerging combination of mirvetuximab soravtansine plus bevacizumab and the evolving treatment landscape in ovarian cancer.

David O&rsquo;Malley, MD, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the results seen so far with the combination of bevacizumab plus mirvetuximab soravtansine, an antibody-drug conjugate, in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, lead author of the&nbsp;phase II QUADRA trial, discusses the activity and tolerability of niraparib in patients with heavily pretreated&nbsp;homologous recombinant deficiency-positive ovarian cancer, and other recent data in ovarian cancer.

Mesothelin-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy has shown early evidence of efficacy in a phase I trial of patients with malignant pleural disease and mesothelioma,&nbsp;non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, or breast cancer. Additionally, significant responses were seen in patients who went on to receive subsequent PD-1 checkpoint inhibition treatment.

The combination of apatinib and oral etoposide showed promising efficacy and a manageable safety profile in patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory ovarian cancer, according to findings from the phase II AEROC trial recently published in <em>The Lancet Oncology</em>.

The first patient has been enrolled in the phase III ATHENA trial looking at rucaparib (Rubraca) in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer, according to Clovis Oncology, the company developing rucaparib.

Maurie Markman, MD, President of Medicine and Science at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, discusses where he sees the field of ovarian cancer and other gynecologic cancers headed in the future, based on the research shared at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Ovarian cancer expert Kelly McCann, MD, PhD,&nbsp;discusses the process of DNA damage and repair, resistance to PARP&nbsp;inhibitors, and rational combination strategies to overcome resistance.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Panagiotis A.&nbsp; Konstantinopoulos, MD, director of Translational Research, Gynecologic Oncology Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, discussed the findings from the TOPACIO trial for patients with platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. He also highlights the outlook for immunotherapy in gynecologic cancers and what the next steps are moving forward.

Shannon Westin, MD, MPH, recently explained the treatment considerations and decisions she makes when treating patients with ovarian cancer. Westin explained her treatment decisions based on 2 case scenarios during a <em>Targeted Oncology</em> live case-based peer perspectives presentation.