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Thousands of women with ovarian cancer could benefit from a breakthrough drug combination after it was shown to shrink tumors in half of patients with an advanced form of the disease.
The pair of drugs – which work together to block signals cancer cells need to grow – could offer a new treatment option for women with a type of ovarian cancer that rarely responds to chemotherapy or hormone therapy.
Experts said the “fantastic” results of the first trials of the new drug combination, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress, suggested the treatment was “very effective”. They have been so successful that a phase 2 trial is already underway.
The researchers said they were “delighted” with the result and hope it could mean a “significant breakthrough” in treatment if the results are replicated in larger trials.
The phase 1 trial, led by a team from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, tested the drugs VS-6766 and defactinib in patients with cancer of the low grade serous ovary.
This type of cancer tends to develop at a younger age, the experts said, adding that less than 13% of patients respond to chemotherapy and less than 14% respond to hormone therapy.
The results of the trials show that of the 24 patients evaluated, 46% saw their tumors shrink significantly in response to treatment.
The results were even better in patients with a particular mutation, with 64% of them with KRAS-induced tumors seeing them shrink after treatment. The researchers said this indicates that tumor profiles could be used to identify patients most likely to benefit from the new treatment.
They said the trial participants – aged 31 to 75 – lived an average of 23 months before their cancer progressed.
“Overcoming the ability of cancer to develop resistance to treatment is a huge challenge for cancer research,” said Professor Kristian Helin, Executive Director of ICR. “This study transformed an in-depth understanding of how cancer fuels its growth and develops resistance into a highly targeted treatment for patients who currently have few treatment options.”
Dr Susana Banerjee, also from ICR and Consultant in Medical Oncology and Head of Research at the Royal Marsden Gynecology Unit, added: “If these results are confirmed in larger trials, they will represent a significant breakthrough. in the treatment of low-grade serous ovarian cancer. “
The combination treatment worked even in patients who had previously received an MEK inhibitor – something that can shrink tumors but tends to stop working as tumors develop resistance to treatment – before the study , Banerjee said.
She added, “I am delighted that this combination of drugs has worked so well in a group of patients who are in urgent need of new treatments, including those who have previously been treated with an MEK inhibitor. We are optimistic that this will become the standard of care for women with low-grade serous ovarian cancer.
In addition, at the congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology, the trial of a new drug to treat a form of breast cancer was hailed as “revolutionary”, the results suggesting a strong tendency to improve. overall survival.
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Enhertu has shown a 72% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death in women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer compared to a different drug.
The trial, involving around 500 patients in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America, found that there was “a strong trend towards improving overall survival” with Enhertu.
But it was also pointed out that this analysis was “not yet mature and is not statistically significant”.
Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, Senior Research Communications Officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: “These are incredibly promising results, and we are now hoping that further research will show whether this treatment could also offer patients time to relax. precious extra life and being there for more time than matter. “
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