A El-Balat

Bio: A El-Balat is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Internal medicine. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 735 citations.

Optimal Treatment Duration of Bevacizumab as Front-Line Therapy for Advanced Ovarian Cancer: AGO-OVAR 17 BOOST/GINECO OV118/ENGOT Ov-15 Open-Label Randomized Phase III Trial

Abstract: PURPOSE To compare standard versus extended duration of bevacizumab treatment in combination with front-line chemotherapy in women with newly diagnosed stage IIB-IV ovarian cancer. METHODS In this multicenter, open-label, randomized phase III trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01462890), patients with newly diagnosed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIB-IV epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer underwent primary cytoreductive surgery followed by six cycles of chemotherapy (paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 plus carboplatin area under the curve 5 once every 3 weeks) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg once every 3 weeks). Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive bevacizumab for either 15 or 30 months, stratified by International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage/residual tumor. The primary end point was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) according to RECIST version 1.1. Secondary end points included overall survival (OS), safety, and tolerability. RESULTS Between November 11, 2011, and August 6, 2013, 927 women were randomly assigned. There was no difference in PFS between treatment arms (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.15; unstratified log-rank P = .90). Median PFS was 24.2 versus 26.0 months with standard versus extended duration of bevacizumab, respectively; restricted mean PFS was 39.5 versus 39.3 months, respectively. There was no OS difference between treatment arms (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.23; P = .68). Serious/nonserious adverse events of special interest occurred in 29% versus 34% of patients in the standard versus experimental arms, respectively, and were consistent with the known safety profile of standard bevacizumab. CONCLUSION Longer treatment duration with bevacizumab for up to 30 months did not improve PFS or OS in patients with primary epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer. A bevacizumab treatment duration of 15 months remains the standard of care.

Efficacy of maintenance olaparib plus bevacizumab in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer according to BRCA mutation genotype in the phase III PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 trial.

Abstract: 5571 Background: In the Phase III PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 trial, the addition of maintenance olaparib (ola) to bevacizumab (bev) in patients (pts) with newly diagnosed advanced high-grade ovarian cancer (HGOC) resulted in prolonged progression-free survival (PFS), particularly for pts with HRD-positive tumors including a BRCA1/ BRCA2 mutation (BRCAm; Ray-Coquard et al. NEJM 2019). Preclinical data suggest that pts with mutations (mut) in the RING domain of BRCA1 are less sensitive to ola. The magnitude of benefit from ola + bev, according to the location of mut in the functional domains (FD) of BRCA , remains to be explored. Methods: Pts with newly diagnosed advanced HGOC in response after platinum-based chemotherapy + bev received maintenance bev (15 mg/kg q3w for 15 months [mo]) + either ola (300 mg bid for 24 mo) or placebo (pbo). In this post hoc exploratory analysis, PFS was analyzed in pts with BRCAm according to mut location in the FDs of BRCA1 (RING, DNA-binding domain [DNA-BD], or BRCA1 C terminus [BRCT]) and BRCA2 (RAD51-BD; DNA-BD). Results: Among the 806 randomized pts, 235 (29.2%) harbored a BRCAm: 160 (19.9%) with a BRCA1 mut and 76 (9.4%) with a BRCA2 mut. BRCA1 mut in FDs of RING, DNA-BD and BRCT were detected in 19 (11.8%), 41 (25.6%) and 34 (21.2%) pts, respectively. BRCA2 mut were detected in FDs of RAD51-BD and DNA-BD in 37 (48.7%) and 14 (18.4%) pts, respectively. With a median follow-up of 25.5 mo, 24-mo PFS rates and hazard ratios (HRs) according to mut locations are reported in the Table. In pts with a BRCA1 DNA-BD mut, 24-mo PFS was 89% and 14% (ola + bev vs pbo + bev; HR 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02–0.26) compared with 64% and 24% for pts with mut in RING + BRCT + other domains (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19–0.57). In pts with BRCA2 mut, 24-mo PFS for pts with mut in the DNA-BD was 91% vs 100% (ola + bev vs pbo + bev) compared with 82% and 44% for pts with mut in RAD51-BD + other domains (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08–0.54). Conclusions: In this exploratory analysis, pts with newly diagnosed advanced HGOC and a BRCAm had a PFS benefit from maintenance ola + bev regardless of mut locations in BRCA1/BRCA2. Sensitivity to ola + bev maintenance was particularly high for pts with mut in the DNA-BD of BRCA1. Pts with a mut in the DNA-BD of BRCA2 commonly had excellent outcomes. Clinical trial information: NCT02477644. [Table: see text]

2022-RA-689-ESGO Fertility-sparing treatment in patients with IB1 cervical cancer – results of the international multicentre retrospective FERTISS study (ENGOT Cx14; CEEGOG Cx-03)

Abstract:

Introduction/Background

One of the key conditions for selecting candidates for fertility sparing treatment (FST) is a tumour size not exceeding 2 cm in the largest dimension. While there is a consensus on the choice of surgical treatment in stage IA, both radical (radical trachelectomy) and non-radical (simple trachelectomy or conisation) procedures are advocated in stage IB1, often depending on tumor size (>1 cm vs. 1–2 cm) and the presence of LVSI.

Methodology

Patients with IB1 cervical cancer were recruited from the international multicenter retrospective FERTISS study. Inclusion criteria were lymph node negativity, age 18–40 years, and any type of FST, regardless of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, histotype, or tumour grade. Parameters representing disease and treatment characteristics were analyzed for risk of recurrence.

Results

A total of 356 stage IB1 patients from 44 institutions in 13 countries were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 31.7 years, 70.2% of them were nulliparous. One-third of the tumours were adenocarcinomas and one-third of cases were LVSI positive. Oncological treatment characteristics are summarized in table 1. During median follow-up of 72 months there were 27 recurrences (7.6%) and 8 deaths (2.3%) from the disease. Recurrence rates did not differ between patients after non-radical cervical procedures (conization or simple trachelectomy) and radical trachelectomy (7.5% vs. 7.7%; p=0.957), even after subgroup analysis according to tumour size (<1 cm: 5.2% vs. 7.4%; p=0.507; 1–2 cm: 10.9% vs. 8%; p=0.553) or presence of LVSI (11.5% vs. 9.4%; p=0.725) (table 2).

Conclusion

We have demonstrated that in patients with HPV-associated tumour types, negative regional lymph nodes, and tumour size ≤2 cm, oncological outcome after FST is excellent, and it is not inferior after non-radical cervical procedures.

Maintenance Olaparib in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Abstract: Background Most women with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer have a relapse within 3 years after standard treatment with surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. The benefit of the o...

Olaparib plus Bevacizumab as First-Line Maintenance in Ovarian Cancer.

Abstract: Background Olaparib has shown significant clinical benefit as maintenance therapy in women with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer with a BRCA mutation. The effect of combining mainte...

State-of-the-art strategies for targeting the DNA damage response in cancer

Abstract: Genomic instability is a key hallmark of cancer that arises owing to defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) and/or increased replication stress. These alterations promote the clonal evolution of cancer cells via the accumulation of driver aberrations, including gene copy-number changes, rearrangements and mutations; however, these same defects also create vulnerabilities that are relatively specific to cancer cells, which could potentially be exploited to increase the therapeutic index of anticancer treatments and thereby improve patient outcomes. The discovery that BRCA-mutant cancer cells are exquisitely sensitive to inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase has ushered in a new era of research on biomarker-driven synthetic lethal treatment strategies for different cancers. The therapeutic landscape of antitumour agents targeting the DDR has rapidly expanded to include inhibitors of other key mediators of DNA repair and replication, such as ATM, ATR, CHK1 and CHK2, DNA-PK and WEE1. Efforts to optimize these therapies are ongoing across a range of cancers, involving the development of predictive biomarker assays of responsiveness (beyond BRCA mutations), assessment of the mechanisms underlying intrinsic and acquired resistance, and evaluation of rational, tolerable combinations with standard-of-care treatments (such as chemotherapeutics and radiation), novel molecularly targeted agents and immune-checkpoint inhibitors. In this Review, we discuss the current status of anticancer therapies targeting the DDR.

Epithelial ovarian cancer: Evolution of management in the era of precision medicine

Abstract: Ovarian cancer is the second most common cause of gynecologic cancer death in women around the world. The outcomes are complicated, because the disease is often diagnosed late and composed of several subtypes with distinct biological and molecular properties (even within the same histological subtype), and there is inconsistency in availability of and access to treatment. Upfront treatment largely relies on debulking surgery to no residual disease and platinum-based chemotherapy, with the addition of antiangiogenic agents in patients who have suboptimally debulked and stage IV disease. Major improvement in maintenance therapy has been seen by incorporating inhibitors against poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) molecules involved in the DNA damage-repair process, which have been approved in a recurrent setting and recently in a first-line setting among women with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. In recognizing the challenges facing the treatment of ovarian cancer, current investigations are enlaced with deep molecular and cellular profiling. To improve survival in this aggressive disease, access to appropriate evidence-based care is requisite. In concert, realizing individualized precision medicine will require prioritizing clinical trials of innovative treatments and refining predictive biomarkers that will enable selection of patients who would benefit from chemotherapy, targeted agents, or immunotherapy. Together, a coordinated and structured approach will accelerate significant clinical and academic advancements in ovarian cancer and meaningfully change the paradigm of care.