Medicamentos | Comparación de terapias | Resultados de ensayos clínicos

Consider
Your Options

If you opt to take maintenance therapy, several medications are available. These medication options differ in the way that they work, how they are given, and the types of side effects they may cause. Their effectiveness depends on the characteristics of your cancer, such as whether this is your first occurrence of ovarian cancer, if you have a BRCA mutation, or if your tumor is HRD+. Use this page to learn more about the types of medications used for maintenance therapy.

Consider Your Options

If you opt to take maintenance therapy, several medications are available. These medication options differ in the way that they work, how they are given, and the types of side effects they may cause. Their effectiveness depends on the characteristics of your cancer, such as whether this is your first occurrence of ovarian cancer, if you have a BRCA mutation, or if your tumor is HRD+. Use this page to learn more about the types of medications used for maintenance therapy.

Medications

Your Maintenance Therapy Options

You may have several options for maintenance therapy after treatment for ovarian cancer.

PARP inhibitors are a class of medications that blocks an enzyme in cells called PARP. PARP helps repair DNA when it is damaged. PARP inhibitors may keep cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA, causing them to die. Common PARP inhibitors are olaparib, niraparib, and rucaparib.

PARP inhibitors are oral medications taken in pill or capsule form once or twice daily. Medical visits while on PARP inhibitors are typically once every 4 weeks. These visits include blood tests, a physical examination, and a visit with a clinician to address any health issues or side effects you may be experiencing related to your treatment. Additionally, the visit is used to try to identify any symptoms or signs that the cancer has come back. For some PARP inhibitors, weekly blood draws may be required for the first cycle or until the correct dosing for you is identified.

Bevacizumab is a man-made antibody that blocks a protein called VEGF. VEGF promotes the growth of blood vessels (called angiogenesis). VEGF stands for vascular endothelial growth factor. Bevacizumab may keep tumors from growing blood vessels, causing them to shrink or slow their growth.

Bevacizumab is given intravenously over 30 minutes every 3 weeks. Medical visits while on bevacizumab are typically once every 3 weeks. These visits include blood tests, a physical examination, a urine test, and a visit with a clinician to address any health issues or side effects you may be experiencing related to your treatment. Additionally, the visit is used to try to identify any symptoms or signs that the cancer has come back.

Knowledge Check

Some maintenance therapies work better in women who have certain genetic mutations.

True

Correct. PARP inhibitors may work better for women who have certain genetic mutations than for women who do not have these mutations.

False

Incorrect. PARP inhibitors may work better for women who have certain genetic mutations than for women who do not have these mutations.

Combination Therapy is one or more treatments that you take together. The current combination that is available is a PARP inhibitor plus bevacizumab. Some combinations may only be available in clinical trials. Since drugs often target tumors in different ways, combination therapy can take advantage of two or more strategies for preventing the tumor from coming back or progressing.

You may have PARP inhibitors twice daily and bevacizumab is given intravenously over 30 minutes every 3 weeks. Medical visits while on combination therapy are typically once every 3 weeks. Medical visits while on combination therapy include blood tests, a physical examination, and a visit with a clinician to address any health issues or side effects you may be experiencing related to your treatment. Additionally, the visit is used to identify any symptoms or signs that the cancer has come back. Weekly blood draws may be required for the first cycle of PARP inhibitors or until the correct dosing for you is identified.

Comparing Therapies

How does quality of life compare across the options?

Although maintenance therapies have known side effects, studies have shown that maintenance therapies do not have a significant impact on quality of life compared to each other or compared to no maintenance therapy.

PARP Inhibitors Bevacizumab Combination Therapy
Drug Route of Administration Oral IV Oral plus IV
Frequency of Administration Once or twice daily Every three weeks Twice daily pills plus IV every 3 weeks
Time Required for Each Treatment None 30 minutes for IV 30 minutes for IV
How Soon to Start Treatment Within 8-12 weeks of last dose of chemotherapy Typically starts with chemotherapy Bevacizumab typically starts with chemotherapy

PARP inhibitor starts within 9 weeks of last dose of chemotherapy
Grades 1 and 2 Side Effects
  • Mild to moderate
  • May require monitoring or medication
  • May interfere with daily activities
  • Nausea (56-76%)
  • Fatigue (33-62%)
  • Vomiting (21-39%)
  • Low platelet count (10-32%)
  • Anemia (12-32%)
  • Fatigue (31%)
  • High blood pressure (30%)
  • Nausea (21%)
  • Nausea (51%)
  • Fatigue (48%)
  • High blood pressure (27%)
  • Anemia (24%)
  • Vomiting (21%)
Grades 3 and 4 Side Effects
  • Severe to life-threatening
  • May require hospitalization
  • May limit self-care activities
  • Low platelet count (1-42%)
  • Anemia (5-31%)
  • Low white blood cell count (4-20%)
  • Fatigue (2-7%)
  • Vomiting (2-4%)
  • Nausea (1-4%)
  • Diarrhea (2-3%)
  • Abdominal pain (1-3%)
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome/leukemia, a fatal blood cancer (<1%)
  • High blood pressure (30%)
  • Diarrhea (2%)
  • Abdominal pain (2%)
  • Vomiting (2%)
  • A hole in the intestine, may cause infection or death (<1%)
  • High blood pressure (19%)
  • Anemia (17%)
  • Low white blood cell count (6%)
  • Fatigue (5%)
  • Nausea (2%)
  • Diarrhea (2%)
  • Low platelet count (2%)
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome/leukemia, a fatal blood cancer (1%)
  • A hole in the intestine, may cause infection or death (<1%)
PARP Inhibitors
Drug Route of Administration Oral
Frequency of Administration Once or twice daily
Time Required for Each Treatment None
How Soon to Start Treatment Within 8-12 weeks of last dose of chemotherapy
Grades 1 and 2 Side Effects
  • Mild to moderate
  • May require monitoring or medication
  • May interfere with daily activities
  • Nausea (56-76%)
  • Fatigue (33-62%)
  • Vomiting (21-39%)
  • Low platelet count (10-32%)
  • Anemia (12-32%)
Grades 3 and 4 Side Effects
  • Severe to life-threatening
  • May require hospitalization
  • May limit self-care activities
  • Low platelet count (1-42%)
  • Anemia (5-31%)
  • Low white blood cell count (4-20%)
  • Fatigue (2-7%)
  • Vomiting (2-4%)
  • Nausea (1-4%)
  • Diarrhea (2-3%)
  • Abdominal pain (1-3%)
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome/leukemia, a fatal blood cancer (<1%)
Bevacizumab
Drug Route of Administration IV
Frequency of Administration Every three weeks
Time Required for Each Treatment 30 minutes for IV
How Soon to Start Treatment Typically starts with chemotherapy
Grades 1 and 2 Side Effects
  • Mild to moderate
  • May require monitoring or medication
  • May interfere with daily activities
  • Fatigue (31%)
  • High blood pressure (30%)
  • Nausea (21%)
Grades 3 and 4 Side Effects
  • Severe to life-threatening
  • May require hospitalization
  • May limit self-care activities
  • High blood pressure (30%)
  • Diarrhea (2%)
  • Abdominal pain (2%)
  • Vomiting (2%)
  • A hole in the intestine, may cause infection or death (<1%)
Combination Therapy
Drug Route of Administration Oral plus IV
Frequency of Administration Twice daily pills plus IV every 3 weeks
Time Required for Each Treatment 30 minutes for IV
How Soon to Start Treatment Bevacizumab typically starts with chemotherapy

PARP inhibitor starts within 9 weeks of last dose of chemotherapy
Grades 1 and 2 Side Effects
  • Mild to moderate
  • May require monitoring or medication
  • May interfere with daily activities
  • Nausea (51%)
  • Fatigue (48%)
  • High blood pressure (27%)
  • Anemia (24%)
  • Vomiting (21%)
Grades 3 and 4 Side Effects
  • Severe to life-threatening
  • May require hospitalization
  • May limit self-care activities
  • High blood pressure (19%)
  • Anemia (17%)
  • Low white blood cell count (6%)
  • Fatigue (5%)
  • Nausea (2%)
  • Diarrhea (2%)
  • Low platelet count (2%)
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome/leukemia, a fatal blood cancer (1%)
  • A hole in the intestine, may cause infection or death (<1%)

Clinical Trial Outcomes

Please complete the inputs below

Based on your answers, you will be shown information from clinical trials about how many women did or did not have their cancer grow or return with PARP inhibitors, bevacizumab, combination therapy, or no maintenance.

Some of the maintenance options presented may not be available to you depending on your medical history.

Is this the first time you've had ovarian cancer?
Do you have a BRCA mutation?*
Is your tumor HRD+?*

* Talk to your doctor if you are unsure about your BRCA or HRD status.

 

By 0 Months

PARP Inhibitors

reduced the chance the cancer grew or returned by 00%

 00%
reduction

By 0 Months

Bevacizumab

reduced the chance the cancer grew or returned by 00%

 00%
reduction

No study data for this time-frame
with Bevacizumab
(choose another time-frame)

Select the time-frame to view:

With No Maintenance

In a group of 100 women, at 0 months:

100 had their cancer grow or return.
100 had no detectable cancer growth.
VS

PARP

In a group of 100 women, at 0 months:

100 had their cancer grow or return.
100 had no detectable cancer growth.

Note: This study also included women with a BRCA mutation.

This is a footnote

Select the time-frame to view:

With No Maintenance

In a group of 100 women, at 0 months:

100 had their cancer grow or return.
100 had no detectable cancer growth.
VS

Bevacizumab

In a group of 100 women, at 0 months:

100 had their cancer grow or return.
100 had no detectable cancer growth.

Note: This study also included women with a BRCA mutation.

This is a footnote

 

By 0 Months

Combination Therapy

reduced the chance the cancer grew or returned by 00%

 00%
reduction

No study data for this time-frame
with Combination Therapy
(choose another time-frame)

Select the time-frame to view:

Bevacizumab Alone

In a group of 100 women, at 0 months:

100 had their cancer grow or return.
100 had no detectable cancer growth.
VS

Combination Therapy

In a group of 100 women, at 0 months:

100 had their cancer grow or return.
100 had no detectable cancer growth.

Note: This study also included women with a BRCA mutation.

This is a footnote

Why are there different numbers for the "No Maintenance" options?

This information comes from real-life clinical trials. In each trial, the maintenance drug was tested in one group and no maintenance therapy in another group. The people in the no maintenance therapy group were different from trial to trial. The numbers may be different because the women in each group that got no maintenance may have had different risk factors.

Why is information missing for some time periods?

Some clinical trials tracked progression-free survival every 6 months, while others tracked it every year. For trials where there is no information on a specific 6-month interval, no information is displayed. Some trials only collected information for two years.