Characterization of patients with long-term responses to rucaparib treatment in recurrent ovarian cancer

Gynecol Oncol. 2021 Dec;163(3):490-497. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.08.030. Epub 2021 Sep 30.

Abstract

Objective: To describe molecular and clinical characteristics of patients with high-grade recurrent ovarian carcinoma (HGOC) who had long-term responses to the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor rucaparib.

Methods: This post hoc analysis pooled patients from Study 10 (NCT01482715; Parts 2A and 2B; n = 54) and ARIEL2 (NCT01891344; Parts 1 and 2; n = 491). Patients with investigator-assessed complete or partial response per RECIST were classified based on duration of response (DOR): long (≥1 year), intermediate (6 months to <1 year), or short (<6 months). Next-generation sequencing was used to detect deleterious mutations and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in tumors.

Results: Overall, 25.3% (138/545) of enrolled patients were responders. Of these, 27.5% (38/138) had long-term responses; 28.3% (39/138) were intermediate- and 34.8% (48/138) were short-term responders. Most of the long-term responders harbored a BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA) mutation (71.1%, 27/38), and BRCA structural variants were most frequent among long-term responders (14.8%; 4/27). Responders with HGOC harboring a BRCA structural variant (n = 5) had significantly longer DOR than patients with other mutation types (n = 81; median not reached vs 0.62 years; HR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.10-0.43; unadjusted p = 0.014). Among responders with BRCA wild-type HGOC, most long- and intermediate-term responders had high genome-wide LOH: 81.8% (9/11) and 76.9% (10/13), respectively, including 7 with deleterious RAD51C, RAD51D, or CDK12 mutations.

Conclusion: Among patients who responded to rucaparib, a substantial proportion achieved responses lasting ≥1 year. These analyses demonstrate the relationship between DOR to PARP inhibitor treatment and molecular characteristics in HGOC, such as presence of reversion-resistant BRCA structural variants.

Keywords: Duration of response; Genomics; Ovarian carcinoma; Rucaparib; Safety.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • BRCA1 Protein / genetics
  • BRCA2 Protein / genetics
  • Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic
  • Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Indoles / adverse effects
  • Indoles / therapeutic use*
  • Loss of Heterozygosity
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / genetics
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors / adverse effects
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors / therapeutic use

Substances

  • BRCA1 Protein
  • BRCA1 protein, human
  • BRCA2 Protein
  • BRCA2 protein, human
  • Indoles
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors
  • rucaparib