Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancer Research Results and Study Updates

FDA approved mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx (Elahere) to treat people with advanced, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer whose tumors overproduce a protein called FR-α. The full approval was based on the results of a large, randomized trial called MIRASOL, which showed Elahere improved survival for these people.

Researchers have developed tiny “drug factories” that produce an immune-boosting molecule and can be implanted near tumors. The pinhead-sized beads eliminated tumors in mice with ovarian and colorectal cancer and will soon be tested in human studies.

New results from a large study show that trametinib (Mekinist) is an effective treatment for low-grade serous ovarian cancer. The findings are the first strong evidence that this rare type of ovarian cancer should be treated differently from other forms of the disease.

For patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who meet strict criteria, additional surgery may improve survival, results from a large clinical trial show.

A microRNA—a molecule made by cells to turn genes on and off—called miR-181a may help high-grade serous ovarian cancer form, a study has found. The scientists think the microRNA could potentially help doctors detect ovarian cancer earlier.

Three recently launched NCI-supported studies could help researchers better understand the causes of racial/ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer. The ultimate goal is to eliminate disparities and improve survival for all women with the disease.

Secondary surgery for women with recurrent ovarian cancer does not improve how long those women live, findings from a large trial show. The results call into question the current standard of practice for these patients.

In three large clinical trials of women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer, treatment with a PARP inhibitor as first-line therapy, maintenance therapy, or both, extended the length of time before participants’ cancers came back or got worse.

Many women diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer are not undergoing tests for inherited genetic mutations that can provide important information to help guide decisions about treatment and longer-term cancer screening, a new study has found.

Surgery to remove all the lymph nodes in the area around an advanced ovarian tumor did not improve survival in a recent randomized clinical trial. The study also found systematic lymphadenectomy was associated with more frequent serious complications.

In a recent trial, the PARP inhibitor olaparib substantially delayed ovarian cancer from coming back after the first line of chemotherapy. Could the findings change the standard of care for newly diagnosed ovarian cancer with a BRCA mutation?

FDA has expanded its approval of rucaparib (Rubraca) as a maintenance therapy for women with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer whose tumors shrank after subsequent treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapy.

Scientists have struggled to come up with a simple test to detect endometrial and ovarian cancers early, when they are most likely to respond to treatment. Can a liquid biopsy test called PapSEEK change that?

The experimental vaccine targets a protein found at elevated levels in about 90% of the most common type of ovarian cancer. If validated in human studies, researchers believe the vaccine may be particularly useful for women who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.

A new study provides more evidence that the most common form of ovarian cancer may originate in the fallopian tubes, and that there is a window of nearly 7 years between development of fallopian tube lesions and the start of ovarian cancer.

A large international study suggests that the presence of certain immune cells within the tumors of some patients with ovarian cancer are associated with improved survival.

FDA has granted regular approval to olaparib tablets (Lynparza®) as maintenance treatment for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who are having partial or complete responses to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Results from the first large prospective study of breast and ovarian cancer risk in women with inherited mutations in the BRCA 1 or BRCA2 genes confirm the high risks estimated from earlier, retrospective studies.

The FDA approved the PARP inhibitor niraparib for use as a maintenance therapy for some women with advanced ovarian cancer.

The FDA has approved rucaparib for women with BRCA-positive advanced ovarian cancer based on findings from two small clinical trials showing that it shrank tumors.