Rosemary Lord

A randomized phase II trial to examine modified vaccinia Ankara-5T4 vaccine in patients with relapsed asymptomatic ovarian cancer (TRIOC)

Background Immunotherapy directed at 5T4 tumor antigen may delay the need for further chemotherapy. An attenuated modified vaccinia Ankara virus containing the gene encoding for 5T4 (MVA-5T4) was studied in asymptomatic relapsed ovarian cancer. Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of MVA-5T4 as treatment for asymptomatic relapsed ovarian cancer. Methods TRIOC was a phase II randomized (1:1), placebo-controlled, double-blind multicenter study. The primary aim was to assess the effectiveness and safety of MVA-5T4 as a treatment for asymptomatic patients with relapsed ovarian cancer. Eligible patients had International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IC1–III or IVA epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0–1, with relapse defined by a rise in CA-125 to twice the upper limit of normal or low-volume disease on CT scan. The primary endpoint was disease progression (including deaths from ovarian cancer) at 25 weeks. Following a brief suspension, the trial restarted as a single-arm study. The revised single-arm design required 45 evaluable patients treated with MVA-5T4 to detect a 25-week progression rate of 50%, assuming an expected 70% rate without MVA-5T4; 85% power with one-sided 5% significance. Results A total of 94 eligible patients were recruited, median age was 65 years (range 42–82), median follow-up 34 months (range 2–46). Overall, 59 patients received MVA-5T4 and 35 patients received placebo. The median number of MVA-5T4 injections received was 7 (range 0–9), compared with a median of 6 (range 1–12) for patients receiving placebo. Median progression-free survival was the same in both arms (3.0 months). The 25-week progression rate was similar in both arms: 80.0% for patients treated with MVA-5T4 and 85.7% for those receiving placebo (risk difference −5.7%, 95% CI −21.4% to 10.0%). Median time to clinical intervention was improved with MVA-5T4: 7.6 months (range 6.7–9.5) vs 5.6 (range 4.9–7.6), Conclusion MVA-5T4 vaccination in patients with asymptomatic relapse was well-tolerated but did not improve the progression rate at 25 weeks. The majority of patients who received MVA-5T4 had clinical intervention later than those assigned to placebo. Trial registration number NCT01556841 .

Real world outcomes in platinum sensitive relapsed ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer treated in routine clinical practice in the United Kingdom prior to poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors

The introduction of poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors in ovarian cancer has demonstrated significantly improved progression free survival in four randomized controlled clinical trials in patients with platinum sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer. While overall survival data remain immature, this real world evidence study sets a baseline for future evaluation of poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors. A retrospective chart review was undertaken to investigate real world survival outcomes across 13 National Health Service Trusts in England, Wales, and Scotland. Patients were included if they had platinum sensitive relapsed high grade serous ovarian cancer and had responded to secondline platinum based chemotherapy. Clinical data were collected retrospectively from electronic prescribing records and chart notes. The index date for overall survival analysis was defined as the later of (1) day 1 of the final secondline platinum based treatment or (2) date of response to secondline treatment. The primary objective was overall survival from the index date. Secondary objectives included progression free survival and overall survival by subsequent line of treatment. BRCA mutation status was collected where available. Quality of life questionnaires were not assessed within this study. 233 patients were identified who met the study inclusion criteria. Patient characteristics were consistent with other published data, with a median age of 61 years (range 35-85). Sensitivity analysis of the primary objective demonstrated that the earliest point poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors may be initiated (following completion of secondline chemotherapy) is associated with a median overall survival of 19.8 months. Secondline median overall survival and progression free survival from the index date were 19.3±2.4 months and 7.3±1.2 months, respectively. 144 patients were treated with thirdline chemotherapy with median overall survival and progression free survival from the index date (either date of last cycle of thirdline treatment or date of response to thirdline treatment) of 8.3±2.6 and 4.4±1.8 months, respectively. Overall survival was shown to be shorter in this real world study compared with randomized clinical trials, and underlines the differences in clinical outcomes of patients in a real life setting. This baseline real world study has demonstrated poor survival outcomes in this patient group prior to availability of poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors.

The Activity of TroVax® Versus Placebo in Relapsed Asymptomatic Ovarian Cancer

The purpose of this trial is to assess the effectiveness of TroVax® compared to placebo in extending the time to progression in patients with asymptomatic relapsed platinum resistant ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer.The trial will also look at overall survival times and quality of life.