OCNA & FORCE Welcome Continued Research about PARP inhibitors

The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and one of its Partner Members, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), welcome the recent studies showing positive results for patients who have taken a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors.

Early research results suggest that PARP inhibitors could be particularly useful in men and women with known genetic mutations in the BRCA gene -- mutations related to some cases of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, BRCA mutations (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are related to 10 percent of ovarian cancer cases and 5 percent of breast cancer cases in white women.

PARP inhibitors are drugs that prevent cancer cells from repairing their DNA, thus stopping tumor growth and allowing traditional chemotherapy agents to kill tumor cells. Numerous companies have PARP inhibitors in early-stage trials. However, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and FORCE note that these trials are in Stage I or II, early stages of research. The groups call for continued and expedited testing of PARP inhibitors to speed safe and effective drugs to the market. These trials should be among researchers' first priority because they have the potential to greatly affect so many cancer patients.

Ovarian cancer physicians are excited about the potential of this new class of agents in their use for breast and ovarian cancer of mutation carriers and hope that they will have potential for women with sporadic ovarian cancers as well. Dr. Elise Kohn and her colleagues at the National Cancer Institute have an ongoing phase I study using olaparib (AZD2281) in combination with carboplatin recruiting mutation carriers with breast and/or ovarian cancer (contact: 1-888-624-1937).

There is no reliable early detection for ovarian cancer, so knowledge of one's risk and the symptoms of the disease are crucial to prevention or early diagnosis. Risk factors include genetic mutations, family history, increasing age, obesity, early menstruation and infertility. Prevention includes hormonal contraceptives, pregnancy, breast feeding and prophylactic surgery.

The news about PARPs' promise in treating certain cancers indicates that knowledge of one's genetic status is not only useful in terms of measuring risk, but also for targeting treatments to the individual. As the nation moves towards an era of personalized medicine, knowledge of one's genetic profile and specific tumor characteristics will become more important. It is imperative that collaborative clinical trials with patient-focused outcomes be a research priority.


For more information about the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, please visit www.ovariancancer.org

For more information about the Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), please visit www.facingourrisk.org