Ovarian Cancer: Maintenance Therapy
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may be given to some people after they complete chemotherapy treatment to decrease the chance that the cancer will come back, or to delay the cancer from coming back. Two types of targeted therapies are used for , Avastin (bevacizumab) and PARP inhibitors.
The choice of for ovarian cancer depends on a few factors:
- Whether you were initially treated with chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus Avastin: Avastin may be used as in women who received the drug as part of their initial treatment.
- How well your cancer responded to chemotherapy: is used for women whose cancer disappeared (complete response) or shrank (partial response) during their most recent chemotherapy treatment.
- How many previous lines of chemotherapy treatment you have received: or front-line is the first treatment given; second-line is used if the cancer returns; if the cancer comes back again, the next treatment regimen is called third-line, etc.
- Results of genetic testing for an inherited mutation: some regimens are approved for women with an inherited mutation in or .
- Results of tumor testing: some maintenance therapies are approved for women with a tumor mutation in or or a tumor called HRD-positive.
Avastin for
Avastin (bevacizumab) may be used as for people who received Avastin with chemotherapy as part of their initial treatment and had a complete or partial response. There are two ways that Avastin may be used for maintenance therapy:
- As or later-line used alone. Women do not need to have an inherited or tumor mutation or any type of in order to receive maintenance treatment with Avastin alone.
- As maintenance therapy combined with the Lynparza in people with a or inherited or tumor mutation or in women whose tumor is HRD-positive.
PARP inhibitors for
PARP inhibitors are a type of that can be used as treatment or as maintenance after treatment. PARP inhibitors are only used for to treat people who had a complete or partial response to their most recent treatment with chemotherapy. Three PARP inhibitors have received approval for ovarian cancer maintenance therapy:
- Lynparza ()
- ()
- ()
First-line:
- Lynparza may be used alone or in combination with Avastin as for women with an inherited mutation or a mutation in their tumor.
- Lynparza may also be used in combination with Avastin (see above) for women whose tumor is HRD-positive.
- is approved to be used as for any woman regardless of her or status.
Second-line or higher
- Lynparza may be used as for women with ovarian cancer who have received two or more lines of chemotherapy who had either a complete or partial response to the most recent line of recurrence therapy. Lynparza may be given to people with an inherited mutation (found through genetic testing) or a tumor mutation (found through testing).
Name of Drug |
Line of Treatment |
Indication |
Biomarker |
|
Avastin (bevacizumab) |
First-line |
Used as a single agent for maintenance therapy for people who received Avastin with chemotherapy as part of their initial treatment |
No biomarker required |
|
Avastin (bevacizumab) |
Second-line or later |
Used as a single agent for maintenance therapy for people who received Avastin with chemotherapy as part of their most recent treatment |
No biomarker required |
|
Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lynparza (olaparib) combination |
First-line |
For people who received Avastin with chemotherapy for their initial treatment |
|
|
Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lynparza (olaparib) combination |
First-line |
For people who received Avastin with chemotherapy for their initial treatment |
HRD-positive (homologous recombination deficiency) |
|
Lynparza (olaparib) |
First-line |
Used as a single agent for people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy |
|
|
Zejula (niraparib) |
First-line |
Used as a single agent for people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy |
No biomarker required |
|
Lynparza Rubraca Zejula |
Second-line or later |
For people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy |
No biomarker required |