SOLO3 Reviews Potential Toxicities With Olaparib in Ovarian Cancer

Richard T. Penson, MD, clinical director, Medical Gynecologic Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the toxicities that were demonstrated in the long-term follow-up of the phase III SOLO3 trial. This multicenter, open-label trial investigated single-agent olaparib (Lynparza) in patients with platinum-sensitive, relapsed, BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer who have received at least 2 prior lines of chemotherapy.

The long-term analysis demonstrated no new safety signals, says Penson. Toxicities were similar to what had been previously demonstrated, including gastrointestinal, constitutional, and hematologic toxicities. Patients experienced nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and anemia.

Physicians worry about the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in this patient population, but there was no association between the PARP inhibitor and these complications shown in the study. MDS and AML occurred about 2% of the time in these patients versus 4% in the chemotherapy arm. Moreover, Penson adds that AML may relate to having a BRCA mutation, sensitivity, and chemotherapy agents.

Based on these findings from SOLO3, and results from SOLO2, there was fewer BRCA mutations with the PARP inhibitor.