New drug combination effective for patients with advanced ovarian cancer


Date:
February 14, 2022
Source:
Yale University
Summary:
A new study shows ixabepilone plus bevacizumab (IXA+BEV) is a well-
tolerated, effective combination for treatment of platinum/taxane-
resistant ovarian cancer compared to ixabepilone (IXA) alone.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study led by researchers at Yale Cancer Center and the University of Maryland Comprehensive Cancer Center shows ixabepilone plus bevacizumab (IXA+BEV) is a well-tolerated, effective combination for treatment of
platinum/ taxane-resistant ovarian cancer compared to ixabepilone (IXA)
alone. The data shows it also may significantly extend both progression
free survival and overall survival. The results were published in the
British Journal of Cancer.


========================================================================== "Novel approaches for relapsed ovarian cancer are desperately needed as
limited effective combinations currently exist to treat our patients. The results of this study demonstrated a drug combination that may be an
effective treatment for this type of ovarian cancer," said Alessandro
Santin, MD, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
at Yale School of Medicine and Disease Aligned Research Team Leader for
the Gynecological Cancers Program at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital and senior author of the study.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. According to
the American Cancer Society, nearly 20,000 women will be diagnosed with
ovarian cancer in the United States every year, and more than 12,000 women
will die from the disease. IXA is a microtubule-stabilizing agent that may
be beneficial in patients treated with platinum/paclitaxel. Bevacizumab
(BEV) is an antibody that keeps new blood vessels from forming and has
shown clinical activity in ovarian cancer.

In this phase II study, researchers randomly assigned 78 patients to
receive IXA+BEV or IXA alone. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), Overall survival (OS), safety, and response rates served
as secondary endpoints. Researchers also examined whether the presence
of the protein TUBB3 within the tumor could predict clinical response to
these drugs. Among 76 evaluable patients who received IXA+BEV compared to
IXA, the response rate was 33% versus 8%, with clinical benefit durable
at 6 months in 37% and 3%. The addition of BEV significantly improved
both PFS (5.5 months vs 2.2 months) and OS (10 months vs 6 months). Both regimens were well-tolerated.

"We expect our findings to have major implications in the field of
gynecologic oncology since they add a new, effective treatment for
these extremely challenging tumors for which there are otherwise few
options," said first author Dana M. Roque, MD, Associate Professor of
the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Maryland School
of Medicine and member of the Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive
Cancer Center.

Other Yale authors of the study include: Gloria Huang, MD, Gulden
Menderes, MD, and Elena Ratner, MD, Natalia Buza, MD, Stefania Bellone,
PhD, Vaagn Andikyan, MD, Mitchell Clark, MD, Masoud Azodi, MD, Peter
E. Schwartz, MD, Pei Hui, MD, PhD,Joan R. Tymon-Rosario, Justin Harold,
MD, Dennis Mauricio, Burak Zeybek, and Gary Altwerger, MD.

Funding for the study was provided by RPharm-US, grants from the
National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the
Deborah Bunn Alley Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, the Discovery
to Cure Foundation, the Stand Up to Cancer Foundation (SU2C), the Guido Berlucchi Foundation, and the Domenic Cicchetti Foundation.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Yale_University. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Dana M. Roque, Eric R. Siegel, Natalia Buza, Stefania Bellone,
Dan-Arin
Silasi, Gloria S. Huang, Vaagn Andikyan, Mitchell Clark, Masoud
Azodi, Peter E. Schwartz, Gautam G. Rao, Jocelyn C. Reader, Pei Hui,
Joan R.

Tymon-Rosario, Justin Harold, Dennis Mauricio, Burak
Zeybek, Gulden Menderes, Gary Altwerger, Elena Ratner,
Alessandro D. Santin. Randomised phase II trial of weekly
ixabepilone +/- biweekly bevacizumab for
platinum-resistant or refractory ovarian/fallopian tube/ primary
peritoneal cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/
s41416-022-01717-6 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220214183325.htm

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