ASCO: Olaparib Beats Placebo for BRCA-Related Pancreatic Cancer

Maintenance therapy with olaparib is associated with improved progression-free survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients with a germline BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation (gBRCAm), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, held from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago.

Hedy L. Kindler, M.D., from the University of Chicago, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial involving 247 patients with a gBRCAm and pancreatic adenocarcinoma who received ≥16 weeks of platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) for metastatic disease without progression. A total of 151 patients received olaparib or placebo (90 and 61 patients, respectively).

The researchers found that progression-free survival was significantly improved with olaparib versus placebo, with 104 events (median progression-free survival, 7.4 versus 3.8 months; hazard ratio, 0.53; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.35 to 0.82); the benefit was consistent regardless of response to prior PBC (complete/partial: hazard ratio, 0.62; stable disease: hazard ratio, 0.50). At each time point from six to 24 months, the percentage of progression-free patients was higher in the olaparib versus placebo arm (six months: 53.0 versus 23.0 percent; 12 months: 33.7 versus 14.5 percent; 18 months: 27.6 versus 9.6 percent; 24 months: 22.1 versus 9.6 percent). At the interim overall survival analysis at 46 percent maturity, the hazard ratio was 0.91 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.56 to 1.46).

"Roughly one in five patients responded to olaparib for a median of two years, which is truly remarkable for metastatic pancreatic cancer," Kindler said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to AstraZeneca, which manufactures olaparib and partially funded the study.

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