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Ovarian Cancer: Targeted and Immunotherapies

Targeted therapies are designed to kill cancer cells, while sparing normal cells. Immunotherapies help the immune system detect and attack cancer cells. Learn more about how they are used for ovarian cancer.

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Targeted and Immunotherapies for Ovarian and Related Cancers

This section covers the following topics:


What is ?

is a type of cancer treatment designed to attack or kill cancer cells, while sparing normal cells as much as possible. They are designed to target abnormal proteins, receptors or genes that are found in cancer cells or the surrounding tissue. Targeted therapies are used to treat advanced ovarian cancer. Two targeted therapies most commonly used for ovarian cancer are:

  • Avastin (bevacizumab)
  • PARP inhibitors

Avastin

Avastin is a that works by cutting off the blood supply to the cancer. It may be given as treatment in combination with chemotherapy, or as  after treatment alone or in combination with Lynparza.

PARP inhibitors 

PARP inhibitors work by blocking a protein used by cells to repair damaged . They were initially developed to treat cancers in people with an inherited gene mutation or mutation. Three PARP inhibitors have been approved for treating ovarian cancer:

  • Lynparza ()
  • ()
  • ()

PARP inhibitors have received approval for  after chemotherapy treatment for advanced ovarian cancer to keep the cancer from coming back or growing:

  • Lynparza, and  have all been approved for after chemotherapy. See the table below for more information about the indication for each drug. 

Research is ongoing to learn if PARP inhibitors are also affective for treating ovarian cancer in other situations, including:  

  • people with an  in a different gene that repairs damage (for example: , , , ).
  • people who do not have an inherited gene mutation, but tumor testing found an acquired tumor mutation in a gene that repairs damage.
  • in combination with or other agents.

Visit our research section to find ovarian cancer treatment research studies. 

Other targeted therapies

Targeted therapies are often given to people based on specific changes in their cancer cells. Tumor testing can help doctors identify the patients most likely to benefit from a . Below is a list of some of the targeted therapies that may be used to treat certain types of ovarian cancer, often after chemotherapy stops working.

  • ELAHERE (mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx) may be used for recurrent ovarian cancer that tests positive for a known as FRα (folate receptor alpha).
  • Vitrakvi (larotrectinib) is approved for treatment of ovarian cancer that is or cannot be removed with surgery and has worsened with other treatments. It targets a specific genetic change called an NTRK fusion. This type of genetic change is found in a range of cancers.
  • Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) is a type of targeted therapy approved for treatment of advanced, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer if tumor testing shows a  called
  • Retevmo (Selpercatinib) if tumor testing is positive for a  called RET gene fusion. 

Speak with your doctor if you have advanced ovarian cancer and you are not sure if you had testing, or if you don't understand your test results.

Researchers are studying new ways to use targeted therapies to treat endometrial cancer. Visit our Featured Research section for more information.


What is

Immunotherapies are cancer treatments that help the body’s immune system detect and attack cancer cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of used to treat several types of cancer, including some types of ovarian cancer. Some cancer cells can switch off the immune system. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that prevent this from happening. This allows the immune system to find, unmask and destroy cancer cells.

  • Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is an immune check point inhibitor approved for treatment of cancer with a known as  (or ). Although this is not common in ovarian cancer, it is often seen in people with a gene mutation who develop cancer. It is also approved for treating people with a known as TMB-high. 
  • Jemperli (dostarlimab) is an  approved for treatment of cancer with a known as  (or ). Although this is not common in ovarian cancer, it is often seen in people with a gene mutation who develop cancer.

See our  section for more information. 


Table listing targeted and immunotherapies for ovarian cancer

Open Table
Table of targeted and immunotherapies for ovarian cancer: Table listing the targeted and immunotherapies used for the treatment of ovarian cancer

Name of Drug

Cancer Stage

Line of Treatment

Indication

Biomarker

Type of Agent

Avastin (bevacizumab)

Stage 2, 3 or 4

First-line treatment

Combined with front-line chemotherapy, then continued as a single agent following initial surgery to remove the cancer

No biomarker required

Targeted therapy that blocks the blood supply to tumors by targeting a protein called VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor)

Avastin (bevacizumab)

Stage 3 or 4

First-line maintenance therapy

Combined with Lynparza (olaparib) for platinum-sensitive cancer

  • BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, or
  • HRD-positive (homologous recombination deficiency)

Targeted therapy that blocks the blood supply to tumors

Avastin (bevacizumab)

Stage 3 or 4

Second or third-line

Combined with chemotherapy for platinum-resistant recurrent disease

No biomarker required

Targeted therapy that blocks the blood supply to tumors

Avastin (bevacizumab)

Stage 3 or 4

Second-line or later

Combined with chemotherapy, followed by Avastin as a single agent, for platinum-sensitive recurrent diesase

No biomarker required

Targeted therapy that blocks the blood supply to tumors

Lynparza (olaparib)

Stage 3 or 4

First-line maintenance

For people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy

  • Inherited (germline) mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2
  • Tumor (somatic) mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2

Type of targeted therapy known as a PARP inhibitor

Lynparza (olaparib)

Stage 3 or 4

First-line maintenance

Combined with Avastin (bevacuzimab) for people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy

  • Inherited mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, or
  • HRD-positive (Homologous Recombination Deficiency-positive)

Type of targeted therapy known as a PARP inhibitor

Zejula (niraparib)

Stage 3 or 4

First-line maintenance

For people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy

No biomarker required

Type of targeted therapy known as a PARP inhibitor

Lynparza
(olaparib)

Rubraca
(rucaparib)

Zejula
(niraparib)

Stage 3 or 4

Second-line or later maintenance

For people who had a complete or partial response to platinum chemotherapy

No biomarker required

Type of targeted therapy known as a PARP inhibitor

ELAHERE (mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx)

Stage 3 or 4

Second-line or later

For treatment of platinum-resistant or platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer

Positive for FRα (folate receptor alpha)

Antibody-drug conjugate (chemotherapy attached to antibody targeting FR-α receptor)

Enhertu (fam-trastuzumab-deruxtecan-nxki)

Metastatic or unresectable solid tumors

Second-line or later

For adults with unresectable or metastatic, HER2-positive solid tumors who have received prior systemic treatment and have no alternative treatment options

HER2 overexpression (HER2-positive)

Antibody-drug conjugate (chemotherapy attached to antibody targeting HER2 receptor)

Keytruda (pembrolizumab)

Metastatic or unresectable cancers

Second-line or later

For treatment of solid tumors that have progressed after treatment and for which there are no other treatment options

  • MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high), or
  • dMMR/MMR-D (mismatch repair deficient)

Type of immunotherapy known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor

Keytruda (pembrolizumab)

Metastatic or unresectable cancers

Second-line or later

For treatment of solid tumors that have progressed after treatment and for which there are no other treatment options

TMB-H (tumor mutational burden-high)

Type of immunotherapy known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor

Keytruda (pembrolizumab)

Metastatic or unresectable cancers

Second-line or later

For treatment of solid tumors that have progressed after treatment and for which there are no other treatment options

TMB-H (tumor mutational burden-high)

Type of immunotherapy known as an immune checkpoint inhibitor

Vitrakvi (larotrectinib)

Metastatic solid tumors

Second-line or later

For treatment in metastatic solid tumors for which there are no other treatment options

NTRK fusion

Targeted therapy known as a kinase inhibitor

Retevmo (Selpercatinib)

Metastatic solid tumors

Second-line or later

For treatment in metastatic solid tumors for which there are no other treatment options

RET gene fusion

Targeted therapy known as a kinase inhibitor

Last updated January 04, 2024