Cediranib in combination with olaparib for recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer – fourth line or greater


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Therapeutic Areas: Female Reproductive Cancer
Year: 2019

Cediranib in combination with olaparib is in clinical development for the treatment of patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer who have received at least 3 prior lines of chemotherapy. Ovarian cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and includes epithelial ovarian cancer as the most common type. Other less common types include primary peritoneal cancer and fallopian tube cancer. Platinum-based chemotherapy is the main type of treatment used in ovarian cancer but over time, some patients may become platinum-resistant, which may recur following other lines of treatment.
Cediranib works by blocking several specific proteins called the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors that are important in the formation of blood vessels to the tumour. Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor which acts by blocking DNA repair leading to the cancer cell death. Olaparib is currently licenced for use in some types of ovarian cancer. Both cediranib and olaparib are taken orally. The combination has demonstrated the potential to act synergistically to improve long-term outcomes in recurrent ovarian cancer patients who currently have limited options beyond third-line treatment.