Hiroyuki Yoshida

Efficacy and safety of maintenance olaparib and bevacizumab in ovarian cancer patients aged ≥65 years from the PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 trial

The phase III PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 study (NCT02477644) showed that addition of olaparib to bevacizumab maintenance improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer. We evaluated maintenance olaparib plus bevacizumab in older patients in PAOLA-1. Baseline clinical and molecular data, and PFS, were compared between older (aged ≥65 years) and younger patients (<65 years). Factors associated with olaparib efficacy, and safety in age subgroups, were also assessed. Of 806 randomised patients, 292 (36.2%) were ≥65 years. A lower proportion of older versus younger patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 (61.0% versus 76.2%) and upfront surgery (42.0% versus 55.7%). Older patients were less likely to have a BRCA1/2 mutation (17.1% versus 36.7%) or homologous recombination deficiency-positive status (34.1% versus 55.7%). After median follow-up of 22.1 months, median PFS was 21.6 months with olaparib versus 16.6 months with placebo in the older population (hazard ratio [HR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.75), comparable with the younger population (median 22.9 versus 16.9 months; HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.49-0.77). PFS benefits were observed in patients with a BRCA mutation or homologous recombination deficiency-positive tumours. Incidence of olaparib-related grade ≥3 adverse events in older patients was comparable with that of younger patients (36.8% versus 31.7%) although hypertension and anaemia were more common in older patients. No treatment-related deaths occurred in older patients receiving olaparib. Older patients enrolled in PAOLA-1 achieved similar PFS benefits compared with younger patients, with a similar safety profile.

Adipose tissue area is a predictive biomarker for the efficacy of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in platinum‐refractory/resistant ovarian cancer

AbstractBackgroundPegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), an anthracycline agent, is widely used as a treatment option for platinum‐refractory/resistant epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Although only a subset of patients with platinum‐refractory/resistant EOC derive benefit from PLD, predictive biomarkers for patients who will respond to the drug have not yet been established. Here, we evaluated the relationship between adipose tissue status and PLD efficacy in patients with platinum‐refractory/resistant EOC.MethodsPatients with platinum‐refractory/resistant EOC who were treated with single‐agent PLD were included in this retrospective cohort study. Adipose tissue areas including visceral adipose tissue area (VATA), subcutaneous adipose tissue area (SATA), and visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VSR) were calculated prior to the initiation of PLD using computed tomography images. The associations of adipose tissue areas with objective response rate (ORR) and patient survival were evaluated.ResultsForty‐four patients with platinum‐refractory/resistant EOC who received single‐agent PLD were included. Subjects were categorized into high and low groups according to the median VATA, SATA, and VSR values, and body mass index (BMI). The ORR of PLD was significantly lower in the VSR‐high group than in the VSR‐low group (p = 0.0089). Patients in the high VSR group showed significantly shorter progression‐free survival (PFS) compared with patients in the low VSR group (median, 4.0 vs. 8.5 months; p = 0.020). In the multivariable analysis, high VSR was a significant prognostic factor for shorter PFS (hazard ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–4.19; p = 0.035). VATA, SATA, and BMI showed no significant association with ORR and survival of patients who received PLD.ConclusionsHigh VSR is associated with lower ORR and shorter PFS in patients with platinum‐refractory/resistant EOC who received single‐agent PLD. VSR is a robust predictive biomarker for the efficacy of PLD.