Tag Archives: Olaparib

PARP Inhibitor Olaparib Has Activity in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Without Inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 Gene Mutations

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Researchers affiliated with the British Columbia Cancer Agency reported Phase 2 clinical study results indicating that advanced ovarian cancer, with and without germline (inherited) BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations, responded to treatment with the PARP inhibitor olaparib. The Phase 2 study results were published online in the August 21 edition of The Lancet Oncology.

Karen A. Gelmon, M.D., Lead Study Author, Medical Oncologist, and Head of the Investigational Drug Program, Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medical Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency

Researchers affiliated with the British Columbia Cancer Agency reported results from a Phase 2 clinical study indicating that advanced ovarian cancer, with and without germline (inherited) BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations, responded to treatment with the PARP (poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase ) inhibitor olaparib (a/k/a AZD2281).[1] The Phase 2 study results were published online in the August 21 edition of the Lancet Oncology.

Preliminary findings from this study were reported at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, which was held in Chicago earlier this year. [2]

The Phase 2 study results indicate that approximately 41% of women with BRCA1 or BRCA 2-mutated ovarian cancer had objective responses to the targeted agent, along with 24% of patients with non-BRCA gene mutated ovarian cancer. The findings suggest that the PARP inhibitor olaparib might have broad applicability in ovarian cancer.

Unfortunately, the drug olaparib failed to produce any objective responses in patients with non-BRCA gene mutated, triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer is a difficult to treat subtype of the disease that lacks three of the cellular “receptors” known to fuel most breast cancers: estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

Background

Olaparib is a small-molecule, potent oral PARP inhibitor. Olaparib targets PARP, an enzyme essential for repair of single-strand DNA breaks. Preclinical evidence showed that the drug olaparib had activity against tumors with homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair defects, such as those caused by BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations.

Germline (inherited) BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations confer a high risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and tumors arising from the mutations have aggressive tendencies, such as triple-negative breast cancer. PARP inhibition has already demonstrated activity in cancers with germline mutations. Accordingly, the goal of the Canadian researchers was to assess the safety and tolerability of this drug in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer or high-grade serous and/or undifferentiated ovarian cancer, which did not possess BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

Past study reporting associated with olaparib over the past twelve months has been somewhat mixed. Data reported at the 2010 European Society of Medical Oncology annual congress showed no significant effect of olaparib on progression-free survival (PFS) in women with advanced BRCA gene-mutated ovarian cancer. [3] In contrast, data presented at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting showed almost a doubling of PFS with olaparib among women with relapsed, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. [4]

Olaparib Phase 2 Study Design

The olaparib Phase 2 study enrolled women into 4 cohorts or trial arms. The two stage trial design included:

  • BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation negative (or unknown mutation status) patients with high-grade serous, undifferentiated, fallopian-tube, or primary peritoneal cancer (Arm A) or triple-negative breast cancer (Arm B); and
  • Two reference groups with recurrent ovarian cancer (Arm C) or breast cancer (Arm D) who possessed BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations.

All patients had tumor biopsies taken prior to treatment, after 2 cycles of treatment, and at disease progression to assess PARP inhibitor activity, loss of heterozygosity, gene mutational changes, BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene expression, and other markers of response. Computed tomography (CT)/magnetic ressonance imaging (MRI) assessments were performed prior to treatment and at every 2 treatment cycles. The patients were treated with single agent olaparib (400 mg twice a day) on a continuous basis in 4 week cycles.

Researchers at six centers in Canada enrolled 91 patients in this Phase 2, open-label, nonrandomized trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00679783). [5] Eligible patients had advanced metastatic or recurrent breast cancer, or advanced ovarian cancer.

The study population consisted of 65 patients with ovarian cancer and 26 patients with breast cancer. All of the breast cancer patients and 64 ovarian cancer patients received at least one dose of olaparib (400 mg twice a day) and were included in the final study analysis.

The ovarian cancer cohort consisted of 17 patients with BRCA gene mutations and 47 patients without BRCA gene mutations. The breast cancer cohort consisted of 10 patients with BRCA gene mutations and 16 patients without BRCA gene mutations.

The researchers reported that 58 patients with ovarian cancer had the serous subtype (13 patients with BRCA gene mutations, 45 patients without BRCA gene mutations). In the breast cancer cohort, 21 patients had triple-negative disease, including five patients with BRCA gene mutations.

The primary endpoint of the Phase 2 study was objective response, as determined by RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors) criteria.

Olaparib Phase 2 Study Results

None of the breast cancer patients had objective responses, and the disease control rate (proportion of patients with complete response, partial response, or stable disease) at eight weeks was 38% (10 of 26 patients).

In the ovarian cancer cohort, seven of 17 (41%) patients with BRCA gene mutations, and 11 of 46 (24%) patients without BRCA gene mutations, experienced objective responses. The overall disease control rate was 66% (42 of 64), including benefit in 76% (11 of 17) of BRCA-negative patients and 62% (29 of 47) of the BRCA-positive subgroup.

The researchers reported: “Although responses were seen in both platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant populations, our post hoc analysis reported activity mostly in patients with platinum-sensitive disease.” As a precaution, the researchers noted that their findings should be interpreted conservatively because of the small study sample size.

Among the ovarian cancer patients, there were thirteen premature discontinuations, without confirmed radiological disease progression. Six patients dropped out of the Phase 2 olaparib study. Of those patients, three women dropped out because of worsening disease, and three more women dropped out because of adverse events. One patient in the breast cancer group discontinued early because of an adverse event.

The most common adverse events in ovarian and breast cancer patients were fatigue (58 patients), nausea (58), vomiting (34), and decreased appetite (30).

“To our knowledge, this study is the first to show that olaparib monotherapy has activity in women with pretreated high-grade serous ovarian cancer without germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations,” said Karen A. Gelmon, M.D., lead study author, medical oncologist, and head of the Investigational Drug Program, Experimental Therapeutics, within the department of medical oncology of the British Columbia Cancer Agency, along with her co-authors. Dr. Gelmon is also a professor of  medicine at the University of British Columbia.

“New treatments targeting DNA repair mechanisms seem to provide new hope for treatment of ovarian cancer,” the Canadian researchers added. “Subsequent reports of this study assessing tumor biopsies might identify which patients obtain most clinical benefit from olaparib.”

Expert Commentary

Melinda Telli, M.D., Assistant Professor, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University

The study findings by Gelmon et al. were accompanied by a commentary which was written by Melinda L. Telli, M.D., assistant professor, Stanford School of Medicine. [6] In that commentary, Dr. Telli states:

… Their [Gelson et al.] study is noteworthy in that it shows, for the first time, activity of a PARP inhibitor as monotherapy in women with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer who do not have a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. This finding not only suggests new therapeutic possibilities for women with this aggressive type of ovarian cancer, but also importantly confirms the hypothesis that subpopulations of patients with common sporadic tumors can be targeted effectively with PARP inhibitor therapy. An additional important negative finding of this study was the absence of objective responses to single-agent olaparib in women with sporadic triple-negative breast cancer, although the numbers were small and patients heavily pretreated. With new therapies come new challenges, and the clinical development of PARP inhibitors has certainly encountered many obstacles. Thus, to see the potential of these drugs realized is particularly satisfying. This important finding of activity in high-grade serous ovarian cancer marks a new beginning to what will hopefully be a long and fruitful future for PARP inhibitors as they make their move beyond BRCA.

Another expert expressed excitement about the future potential of olaparib. Stephanie V. Blank, M.D., an assistant professor in clinical gynecologic oncology at NYU School of Medicine, said:

It is extremely exciting that an agent as promising as olaparib can be effective in a broader group of women than had been expected. The next challenge will lie in getting our hands on the drug, which at present is only available for patients on clinical trials.

Study Relationship Disclosures

The study was supported by AstraZeneca. Gelmon and several co-authors disclosed relationships with AstraZeneca. The co-authors included AstraZeneca employees. Dr. Telli reported no relevant disclosures.

Libby’s H*O*P*E* Commentary

We would like to extend our congratulations to Dr. Gelmon, as well as her co-investigators, many of whom are critical team members of  the Ovarian Cancer Research Program of British Columbia (OvCaRe). On September 8, 2010, we reported on the OvCaRe team finding of prevalent ARID1A gene mutations in endometriosis-associated, epithelial ovarian cancers (i.e., clear cell and endometrioid). [7]

The findings reported by Gelmon et al. will take on critical importance if it is eventually proven that PARP inhibitors could benefit up to 50% of high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients who possess germline (inherited) or somatic (lifetime acquired) mutations in the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene, or other alternations in the HR DNA repair pathway, as suggested by past preclinical study findings, [8] including those recently reported by The Cancer Genome Atlas. [9]

References

1/ Gelmon KA, et al. Olaparib in patients with recurrent high-grade serous or poorly differentiated ovarian carcinoma or triple-negative breast cancer: A phase II, multicenter, open-label, nonrandomized study. Lancet Oncol 2011; 12: 852-861. [Abstract]

2/Gelmon KA, et al. Can we define tumors that will respond to PARP inhibitors? A phase II correlative study of olaparib in advanced serous ovarian cancer and triple-negative breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 28:15s, 2010 (suppl; abstr 3002) [2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, Abstract 3002]

3/Kaye S, et al Phase II study of the oral PARP inhibitor olaparib (AZD2281) versus liposomal doxorubicin in ovarian cancer patients with BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutations. Annals of Oncology 2010 21(8)8): viii304–viii313, 2010 doi:10.1093/annonc/mdq526 [2010 European Society of Medical Oncology Annual Meeting, Abstract 9710, Adobe Reader PDF Document].

4/Ledermann JA, et al. Phase II randomized placebo-controlled study of olaparib (AZD2281) in patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed serous ovarian cancer (PSR SOC). J Clin Oncol 29: 2011 (suppl; abstr 5003) [2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, Abstract 5003]

5/Phase II, Open Label, Non-Randomized Study of AZD2281 in the Treatment of Patients With Known BRCA or Recurrent High Grade Serous/ Undifferentiated Tubo-Ovarian Carcinoma and in Known BRCA or Triple Negative Breast Cancer to Determine Response Rate and Correlative Markers of Response, ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00679783.

6/Telli ML. PARP inhibitors in cancer: Moving beyond BRCA. Lancet Oncol 2011; 12: 827-828. [Full Text]

7/British Columbian Researchers Make Groundbreaking Genetic Discovery In Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancers, by Paul Cacciatore, Libby’s H*O*P*E*™, September 8, 2010.

8/New Assay Test Predicts That 50% of Ovarian Cancers Will Respond To In Vitro PARP Inhibition, by Paul Cacciatore, Libby’s H*O*P*E*™, November 11, 2010.

9/In-Depth Review: The Cancer Genome Atlas Reports On Landmark Analysis of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, by Paul Cacciatore, Libby’s H*O*P*E*™, August 5, 2011.

Additional Sources:

PARP Inhibitor Clinical Trial Information

Related Libby’s H*O*P*E* Posts

  • Inherited Mutations in RAD51D Gene Confer Susceptibility to Ovarian Cancer, August 7, 2011.
  • In-Depth Review: The Cancer Genome Atlas Reports On Landmark Analysis of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, August 5, 2011.
  • ASCO 2011: Maintenance Therapy With PARP Inhibitors Could Play Important Role in Treatment of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer, May 19, 2011.
  • PARP Inhibitor MK-4827 Shows Anti-Tumor Activity in First Human Clinical Study, November 17, 2010.
  • New Assay Test Predicts That 50% of Ovarian Cancers Will Respond To In Vitro PARP Inhibition, November 11, 2010.
  • PARP Inhibitor Olaparib Benefits Women With Inherited Ovarian Cancer Based Upon Platinum Drug Sensitivity, April 23, 2010.

Related WORD of HOPE Ovarian Cancer Podcast

  • 10 Exciting Ovarian Cancer Research Topics from 2010 — PARP Inhibitors & BRCA Gene-Mutated Ovarian Cancer (Topic #2 of 10), Episode #2, WORD of HOPE Ovarian Cancer Podcast, April 11, 2011.

ASCO 2011: Maintenance Therapy With PARP Inhibitors Could Play Important Role in Treatment of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

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A randomized phase II clinical trial showed that the oral PARP inhibitor drug olaparib (AZD2281), given after chemotherapy, improved progression-free survival in women with the most common type of recurrent ovarian cancer.

ASCO Releases Studies From Upcoming Annual Meeting – Important Advances in Targeted Therapies, Screening, and Personalized Medicine

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today highlighted several studies in a press briefing from among more than 4,000 abstracts publicly posted online at http://www.asco.org in advance of ASCO’s 47th Annual Meeting. An additional 17 plenary, late-breaking and other major studies will be released in on-site press conferences at the Annual Meeting.

The meeting, which is expected to draw approximately 30,000 cancer specialists, will be held June 3-7, 2011, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Patients. Pathways. Progress.”

“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act, a law that led to major new investments in cancer research. Every day in our offices, and every year at the ASCO meeting, we see the results of those investments. People with cancer are living longer, with a better quality of life, than ever before,” said George W. Sledge Jr., M.D., President of ASCO, Ballve-Lantero Professor of Oncology and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

“With our growing understanding of the nature of cancer development and behavior, cancer is becoming a chronic disease that a growing number of patients can live with for many years,” said Dr. Sledge. “The studies released today are the latest examples of progress against the disease, from new personalized treatments, to new approaches to screening and prevention.”

The study results from a phase II clinical trial involving maintenance therapy with the PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitor olaparib were highlighted today in the ASCO press briefing, as summarized below.

Randomized Study Shows that Maintenance Therapy With PARP Inhibitors Could Play Important Role in Treatment of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

A phase II randomized trial showed that maintenance treatment with the oral PARP inhibitor drug olaparib (AZD2281) improved progression-free survival by about four months in women with the most common type of relapsed ovarian cancer. This is the first randomized trial to demonstrate a benefit for maintenance therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer, and the first randomized trial in ovarian cancer of a PARP inhibitor– a novel class of molecularly targeted drugs.

The results of this study, if confirmed in larger trials, could lead to a new treatment approach for recurrent ovarian cancer in which drugs like olaparib are given over a long period of time to prevent recurrences or prolong remissions. This somewhat novel approach, called maintenance therapy, has already proven useful in lung cancer. Standard treatment for ovarian cancer includes platinum-based chemotherapy. After this regimen, patients are observed until recurrence, and then treated with another course of chemotherapy. While some tumors respond well to chemotherapy, the regimens are too toxic for patients to take continuously, and clinical trials have not shown any benefit for extended courses of chemotherapy.

Jonathan A. Ledermann, M.D., Lead Author & Principal Investigator of PARP Maintenance Study; Professor, Medical Oncology, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London

“A well-tolerated antitumor agent that could be used for months or perhaps years as maintenance therapy after standard chemotherapy could be a big step forward and ultimately extend survival,” said lead author Jonathan A. Ledermann, M.D., principal investigator of the study and Professor of Medical Oncology at UCL Cancer Institute, University College London. “This study demonstrates proof of principle for the concept of maintenance therapy in ovarian cancer using a PARP inhibitor. Our progression-free survival difference was very impressive and better than we anticipated.”

The multicenter, international study randomized 265 women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer to either olaparib or placebo. Patients were enrolled in the trial within 8 weeks of having achieved either a complete or partial response to platinum-based treatment. PARP inhibitors have been shown to work better in patients whose tumors have responded to platinum.

In the study, the progression-free survival (PFS) – the amount of time during and after treatment in which the cancer does not return – was significantly longer in the group receiving olaparib than the placebo group, with a median of 8.4 months versus 4.8 months. At the time of data analysis, half the patients randomized to olaparib (68 patients) had not relapsed and were still receiving the drug, while only 16 percent (21 patients) remained on placebo – so overall survival data were not yet available for analysis.

Adverse events were more commonly reported in the group receiving olaparib than placebo, including nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and anemia, but the majority of these were not severe. Dose reductions to manage side effects were allowed in the study and were more prevalent in the olaparib group (23 percent) compared to the placebo group (7 percent).

Olaparib inhibits the enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase — abbreviated “PARP” — which is involved in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) repair. Up to half of women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer – the most common type of ovarian cancer – may have a DNA repair deficiency that makes them more susceptible to treatment with PARP inhibitors.

A number of PARP inhibitors are being studied in phase II and phase III clinical trials, as single agents and in combination with standard chemotherapies and radiation, in some types of breast and ovarian cancers believed to have DNA repair defects.

Sources:

PARP Clinical Trials:
Resources:
Related WORD of HOPE™ Ovarian Cancer Podcasts:
Related Libby’s H*O*P*E*™ Postings:
Related Libby’s H*O*P*E*™ Videos Re PARP Inhibitors


PARP Inhibitor Olaparib Benefits Women With Inherited Ovarian Cancer Based Upon Platinum Drug Sensitivity

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Olaparib (AZD2281), a new type of cancer drug known as a “PARP inhibitor,” produced promising results in patients with platinum-refractory, platinum-resistant, and platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer linked to an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.

A new type of cancer drug — known as a “PARP inhibitor” — produced promising results in patients with ovarian cancer linked to an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. The trial results were published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on April 19th.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden Hospital, working with pharmaceutical company KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, now a subsidiary of AstraZeneca, found the experimental drug olaparib shrank or stabilized tumors in approximately half of ovarian cancer patients possessing BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

The five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is just 40 per cent as the majority of patients are diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease. Most patients initially respond well to radical surgery and platinum and taxane-based chemotherapy, but relapse after an average of 18 months. Subsequent treatments generally become less effective as patients build up resistance.

Professor Stan Kaye, Head of Section of Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research; Head of Drug Development Unit, The Royal Marsden Hospital; and Cancer Research UK-funded scientist

“There is an urgent need to find new drugs for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” says Professor Stan Kaye, Head of the Section of Medicine at the ICR and Head of the Drug Development Unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital and a Cancer Research UK-funded scientist. “Olaparib is still in early-stage testing but the results so far are very encouraging. These findings raise the possibility that carefully selected patients in future may well be offered olaparib as an alternative to chemotherapy during the course of their treatment.”

Between 2005 and 2008, about 50 women with confirmed or suspected BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations began treatment with olaparib in a dose escalation and single-stage expansion of a Phase I trial. Twenty patients responded with their tumors shrinking or with significant falls in their ovarian cancer marker CA125, or both. The disease also stabilized in three patients. The drug was effective for an average of seven months. Notably, several patients are still taking olaparib (for nearly two years). Drug side-effects were generally mild, especially when compared to current chemotherapy treatments.

Olaparib is a new type of drug known as a PARP inhibitor that works by turning a tumor’s specific genetic defect against itself. In susceptible cells, olaparib prevents the repair of naturally occurring breaks in DNA, which healthy cells are able to repair. Susceptible cancer cells – those with an existing defect in a DNA repair pathway caused by a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes – are unable to repair themselves, and therefore, die.

Platinum-based chemotherapy, particularly carboplatin, is one of the main treatments used for ovarian cancer. When this treatment ceases to be effective, theoretically, olaparib might be less effective too, so the ICR scientists examined whether olaparib would still benefit patients whose response to previous platinum-based drugs was limited. Finding new drugs to treat these “platinum-resistant” ovarian cancer patients (those who relapsed within six months of previous platinum therapy) is a particularly high priority as they have a lower chance of benefiting from re-treatment with chemotherapy and a poorer prognosis.

The research team found that the clinical benefit rate with olaparib was indeed higher — 70% — among patients with “platinum-sensitive disease” (disease recurrence more than six months after previous platinum therapy). Crucially, however, the clinical benefit rate was still 46% in platinum resistant patients.

ICR Study Findings:

  • 50 patients participated in the study (13 had platinum-sensitive disease, 24 had platinum-resistant disease, and 13 had platinum-refractory disease (according to platinum-free interval).
  • 20 patients (40%) achieved complete or partial responses under RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) criteria and/or tumor marker (CA125) responses.
  • Overall clinical benefit rate (complete response + partial response + stable disease) = 46%.
  • Median response duration was 28 weeks.
  • There was a significant association between the clinical benefit rate and platinum-free interval across the platinum-sensitive, resistant, and refractory patient subgroups (69%, 45%, and 23%, respectively).
  • Analyses indicated associations between platinum sensitivity and extent of olaparib response.
  • CONCLUSION: Olaparib has antitumor activity in BRCA1/2 mutation ovarian cancer, which is associated with platinum sensitivity.

Up to 15 per cent of breast and ovarian cancers have known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations on blood testing and, importantly, laboratory data strongly suggests that olaparib may also be effective in cancers linked to DNA repair defects not caused by BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. This could apply in about half the cases of the most common histological type of ovarian cancer.

“We have good reason for thinking that the benefit seen with olaparib in BRCA mutation-linked ovarian cancer may well extend to a broader population of patients with this disease,” says Professor Kaye.

Randomised trials of olaparib – in which some patients receive the drug and others a placebo – are underway and results will be available later this year.

KuDOS Pharmaceuticals (a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca) was the major funder of the trial, along with Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research. Olaparib was identified and developed at KuDOS Pharmaceuticals and subsequently at AstraZeneca.

PARP Inhibitor Clinical Trials:

To view a list of open ovarian cancer clinical trials that are testing olaparib (AZD2281), click here.

To view a list of open solid tumor clinical trials that are testing olaparib (AZD2281), click here.

To view a list of open ovarian cancer clinical trials that are testing various PARP inhibitors, click here.

To view a list of open solid tumor clinical trials that are testing various PARP inhibitors, click here.

About The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)

* The ICR is Europe’s leading cancer research centre.

* The ICR has been ranked the UK’s top academic research centre, based on the results of the Higher Education Funding Council’s Research Assessment Exercise.

* The ICR works closely with partner The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to ensure patients immediately benefit from new research. Together the two organisations form the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe.

* The ICR has charitable status and relies on voluntary income, spending 95 pence in every pound of total income directly on research.

* As a college of the University of London, the ICR also provides postgraduate higher education of international distinction.

* Over its 100-year history, the ICR’s achievements include identifying the potential link between smoking and lung cancer which was subsequently confirmed, discovering that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer and isolating more cancer-related genes than any other organization in the world.

* The ICR is home to the world’s leading academic drug development team. Several important anti-cancer drugs used worldwide were synthesised at the ICR and it has discovered an average of two preclinical candidates each year over the past five years.

For more information visit www.icr.ac.uk.

About The Royal Marsden Hospital

The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer treatment, research and education. Today, together with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, it is the largest and most comprehensive cancer centre in Europe treating over 40,000 patients every year. It is a centre of excellence, and the only NHS Trust to achieve the highest possible ranking in the Healthcare Commission’s Annual Health Check for the third year in a row. Since 2004, the hospital’s charity, The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign, has helped raise over £43 million to build theatres, diagnostic centres, and drug development units. Prince William became President of The Royal Marsden in 2007, following a long royal connection with the hospital.

For more information, visit www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk

About Cancer Research UK

* Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research.

* The charity’s groundbreaking work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives. This work is funded entirely by the public.

* Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates double in the last thirty years.

* Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,800 scientists, doctors and nurses.

* Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK’s vision is to beat cancer.

For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 020 7121 6699 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org

About Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) status has been awarded to 19 centres in the UK that are specialist centres conducting research into new cancer treatments. The aim is to bring together cancer doctors, research nurses and lab scientists to make clinical trials of new treatments quicker and easier. The ECMC initiative is funded by Cancer Research UK and the Departments of Health of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Together they are giving a total of £35 million pounds over five years to the 19 centres. The centres will use this money to run trials of new and experimental treatments. They will also analyse thousands of blood and tissue samples (biopsies) to help find out more about how treatments work and what happens to cancer cells.

Sources:


Increased Ovarian Cancer Metastases Identified In Women With BRCA Gene Mutations; May Shed Light on New Treatment Approach

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U.K. researchers have found that patients with hereditary ovarian cancer – whose tumors are caused by faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes – are more likely to experience metastases of the liver, lung, spleen, and viscera. … [T]he researchers suggest that ovarian cancer patients whose tumors spread to the solid organs … should be tested for the faulty genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2 – to ensure they are given the most appropriate treatment.

Dr. Charlie Gourley, Acting Head, Medical Oncology, University of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre

U.K. researchers have found that patients with hereditary ovarian cancer – whose tumors are caused by faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes – are more likely to experience metastases of the liver, lungs, spleen, and viscera. This is despite the fact that their overall prognosis is better than other ovarian cancer patients.  The research is published in the April 20th online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In the study, researchers discovered that the percentage of women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations who experienced visceral, liver, lung, and splenic metastases were 58%, 42%, 16%, and 32% , respectively, as compared with 5%, 0%, 0%, and 3%, respectively, in non-BRCA gene deficient women.  The researchers note that sporadic (i.e., non-hereditary) ovarian tumors tend to remain within the lining of the abdomen and pelvis.

Based upon the study findings, the researchers suggest that ovarian cancer patients whose tumors spread to the solid organs such as the liver, lungs, and spleen should be tested for the faulty genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2 – to ensure they are given the most appropriate treatment.  For example, patients with hereditary tumors, which account for 10 per cent of ovarian cancers, may be suitable for trials of a new drug called olaparib [AZD2281], which has fewer side-effects than normal cancer treatments. Olaparib belongs to a class of drugs known as “PARP” (Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitors.

Researchers say the study findings will improve the detection of faulty BRCA genes, as current criteria for genetic testing may miss as many as two-thirds of ovarian cancer patients carrying the mutated genes.  Improving the identification of BRCA mutations will help relatives of ovarian cancer patients, who may themselves be at increased risk of developing hereditary ovarian cancer.

Dr. Charlie Gourley, who led the research at the University of Edinburgh, said:

“We are beginning to understand the importance of tailoring cancer treatments according to the specifics of each patient’s tumor. These findings demonstrate that tumors which arise because of defects in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes behave differently to other ovarian cancers. This information should also help us to identify the patients carrying these genetic mutations, give them the most effective treatment for their cancer and offer their relatives genetic counselling.”

Sources:

2009 ASCO Annual Meeting Highlights: Ovarian Cancer & Select General Issues

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The 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Orlando, Florida from May 29 through June 2, 2009.  We provide below select highlights from the 2009 ASCO Annual Meeting that relate to ovarian cancer and other general issues.

The 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Orlando, Florida from May 29 through June 2, 2009.  We provide below select highlights from the 2009 ASCO Annual Meeting that relate to ovarian cancer and other general issues. Learn more about How to Read a Medical Abstract in a Research Study.

Development Time of Cancer Clinical Trials Linked to Accrual Goals.

Physicians Need to Address Prescription Costs With Patients Who Participate In Clinical Trials.

Availability of Experimental Therapy Outside of Randomized Clinical Trials In Oncology.

ASCO Fertility Preservation Guidelines For Cancer Patients Not Widely Followed By Oncologists.

Ginger (Zindol®) Quells Cancer Patients’ Chemotherapy-Related Nausea.

Early Treatment of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Based Upon Rising CA-125 Levels Does Not Increase Survival.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Should Be Taken Into Account When Assessing A Cancer Patient’s Vitamin D Status.

Extreme Drug Resistance (EDR) Assay Results Do Not Independently Predict Or Alter The Outcomes of Patients With Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Who Are Treated With Optimal Cytoreductive Surgery Followed By Platinum & Taxane Combination Chemotherapy in Either a Primary or Recurrent Setting.

Systematic Review Of Past Study Results For Use of Cytoreductive Surgery Combined With Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC).

Preliminary Results From Phase II Study of Oxaliplatin+Docetaxel+Bevacizumab As First Line Treatment of Advanced Ovarian Cancer Show 62% Overall Response Rate & 70% One-Year Progression Free Survival.

Combined Weekly Docetaxel + Gemcitabine In Relapsed Ovarian Cancer & Peritoneal Cancer Produces 59% Overall Response Rate.

A Phase II Trial of Irinotecan & Oral Etoposide Chemotherapy in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients Produces 47% Overall Response Rate & 81% Clinical Benefit Rate.

Weekly Bevacizumab & Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin Produce 55% Clinical Benefit Rate In Progressing/Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients.

Phase II Study of Belotecan (CKD-602)+ Carboplatin Demonstrates 53% Overall Response Rate in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients.

Single Agent Voreloxin Produces 11% Overall Response Rate & 52% Disease Control Rate in Phase II Study Involving Women with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer.

A Phase II Study of Patupilone In Patients With Platinum Refractory/Resistant Ovarian, Primary Fallopian, or Peritoneal Cancer Produces 48% Clinical Benefit Rate.

Trabectedin (Yondelis®) + Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin (PLD) Produces Better Response Than PLD Alone.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Finds Anti-VEGF Therapy Is Highly Effective In Patients With Ovarian Granulosa Cell Tumors.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Finds That Increased Angiogenesis Is A Significant Predictor Of Poor Clinical Outcome In Patients With Sex-Cord Stromal Tumors; Suggests Anti-Angiogenesis Therapy is Warranted For This Subtype of Ovarian Cancer.

ZYBRESTAT™ (Combretastatin A-4 phosphate) Produces 32% Confirmed Partial Response Rate (RR) in Evaluable Patients With Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer (25% RR if total enrolled patients used as denominator).

ASSIST-5 Trial of TELCYTA® + Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin Produces 12% Response Rate (With One Complete Response) in Patients With Platinum Refractory and Resistant Ovarian Cancer.

Two Studies Provide Contradictory Data for Use of Carboplatin + Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in Ovarian Cancer

OGX-427 Treatment Demonstrates Safety, Evidence of Declines in Circulating Tumor Cells and Reductions in Tumor Markers in a Phase I Cancer Trial, Including 60% Response Rate (Based Upon Declining CA125) For Ovarian Cancer Patients.

Maintenance BIBF 1120 Could Delay Disease Progression in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer.

Oral PARP Inhibitor Olaparib (AZD2281) Effective Against BRCA-Deficient Advanced Ovarian Cancer.

Carfilzomib (PX-171-007) Produces Stable Disease For 4+ Months In One Ovarian Cancer Patient Who Failed Under Four Previous Treatment Lines – Phase II Solid Tumor Trial.

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