Scientists say the Royal Marsden hospitals’ drug trial could change practice globally for serous form of ovarian cancer which doesn’t respond well to chemotherapy
A new drug combination has given hope to patients with a type of ovarian cancer that is very difficult to treat.
Almost a third of women with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, which does not respond well to chemotherapy, saw their tumours shrink or stop growing when taking a combination of avutometinib and defactinib. The striking trial result could change practice globally for this type of cancer, and offer hope to women with no or few treatment options, researchers say.
Study lead Professor Susana Banerjee, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The combination of avutometinib and defactinib promises a new standard of care for people with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer. We’re now looking to recruit patients for our phase three trial and hope results will continue to show better outcomes for patients.”
Low grade serous ovarian cancer is a rare subtype of ovarian cancer, which is more likely to affect younger women and is more resistant to chemotherapy than other types. Many people are diagnosed when the cancer has spread, and more than 70% see their cancer come back even after standard treatment. Both avutometinib and defactinib work by blocking signals that encourage cancer cells to grow.
The research with the Institute of Cancer Research, London, showed that in 115 people with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, 31% saw their tumours shrink or stop growing on the drugs, compared to 10% or under response rate to chemotherapy or hormone therapies. The results in patients who had a mutation in a gene called KRAS were even more promising, with 44% of patients seeing their tumour shrink. Only 10% of trial participants quit the drug regime, meaning most could tolerate any side-effects.
Prof Banerjee added: “These are significant results from the second phase of this trial. The toxicities for patients are much lower, which means side effects are fewer than with some conventional treatments.”
The drugs being used in the trial are being developed by biotech company Verastem Oncology. The findings were presented at the International Gynaecologic Cancer Society’s meeting in Dublin.
