Multifaceted Future of Ovarian Cancer Treatment to Reduce Recurrence or Relapse

Although platinum-based chemotherapies are remarkably effective in treating patients with ovarian cancer, the rate of relapse remains high, explained Sanaz Memarzadeh, MD, PhD. Therefore, ongoing multidisciplinary research with PARP inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, and even surgery in the recurrent setting, may provide answers in targeting pre-existing tumor-resistant cells.

Memarzadeh, is a professor and gynecologic cancer surgeon in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital, director of the G.O. Discovery Laboratory at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center. She recently spoke to OncLive®, a sister publication of Oncology Nursing News®, about exciting updates in multidisciplinary approaches to ovarian cancer treatment and where she expects treatment directions to evolve in coming years.

Addressing Unmet Needs in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

Despite the efficacy of platinum-based drugs in ovarian cancer treatment, relapse is still a common challenge. One contributing factor is the presence of tumor cells that are resistant to therapy, explained Memarzadeh. These tumor cells may lay dormant and become active to repopulate the cancer. For this reason, first-line combination therapies to target these cell populations represent a potentially effective strategy to prevent relapse.

Read more from Oncology Nursing News by Lindsay Fischer about Multifaceted Future of Ovarian Cancer Treatment to Reduce Recurrence or Relapse