Treatment Approaches Evolving in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

Recurrence marks a significant shift in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, in which it changes from a focus on cure to a focus on effective management, says Dennis R. Scribner Jr, MD. While PARP inhibitors have demonstrated impressive efficacy and tolerability and have helped streamline the process, there are many facets of effective care.

“I try and put it in this perspective: We can’t cure chronic issues like asthma, hypertension, or diabetes, but people live long and [full] lives with those medical issues; they can still maintain a very good quality of life [QoL],” says Scribner.

Molecular profiling will help identify patients who will reap the most benefit from available therapies. Although PARP inhibitors and chemotherapy have been shown to be vital to the management of the disease, Scribner insists that patient preferences should also be considered when choosing treatment.

“The science behind all of those variables is very important, but we sometimes lack an understanding of what patients have to go through in terms of their performance status, family and/ or personal issues, travel time to get to the doctor, and determining whether to take pills or come in to get chemotherapy.”

Read more from OncLive, by Caroline Seymour, on Treatment Approaches Evolving in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer.