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When used as maintenance therapy, the PARP inhibitor olaparib provided a significant progression-free survival benefit in women with ovarian cancer who had a response to primary chemotherapy, particularly in those whose tumors were deficient in homologous recombination (e.g., BRCA -mutated tumors). Hematologic toxic effects were observed.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is the foundation of treatment for platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, but has substantial toxicity. Bevacizumab and maintenance poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors both significantly improve efficacy versus standard therapy, primarily in terms of progression-free survival, and offer the potential for chemotherapy-free treatment. AVANOVA2 compared niraparib and bevacizumab versus niraparib alone as definitive treatment for platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. This open-label, randomised, phase 2, superiority trial in 15 university hospitals in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the USA enrolled women aged 18 years or older with measurable or evaluable high-grade serous or endometrioid platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Patients had to have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2, and had to have previously received platinum-containing therapy for primary disease but ≤1 prior non-platinum-containing regimen for recurrent disease. Previous treatment with bevacizumab or first-line maintenance PARP inhibitors was permitted. Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 (by random permuted blocks with block sizes of two and four, no masking), stratified by homologous recombination deficiency status and chemotherapy-free interval, to receive once-daily oral niraparib 300 mg alone or with intravenous bevacizumab 15 mg/kg once every 3 weeks until disease progression. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival, assessed by the investigators in the intention-to-treat population after events in at least 62 patients. Safety was analysed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This ongoing trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02354131. Between May 23, 2016, and March 6, 2017, 97 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned: 48 to niraparib plus bevacizumab and 49 to single-agent niraparib. Median follow-up was 16·9 months (IQR 15·4–20·9). Niraparib plus bevacizumab significantly improved progression-free survival compared with niraparib alone (median progression-free survival 11·9 months [95% CI 8·5–16·7] vs 5·5 months [3·8–6·3], respectively; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·35 [95% CI 0·21–0·57], p<0·0001). Grade 3 or worse adverse events occurred in 31 (65%) of 48 patients who received niraparib plus bevacizumab and 22 (45%) of 49 who received single-agent niraparib. The most common grade 3 or worse adverse events in both groups were anaemia (7 [15%] of 48 vs 9 [18%] of 49) and thrombocytopenia (5 [10%] vs 6 [12%]), and hypertension in the combination group (10 [21%] vs 0). Niraparib plus bevacizumab was associated with increased incidences of any-grade proteinuria (10 [21%] of 48 patients vs 0) and hypertension (27 [56%] of 48 vs 11 [22%] of 49) compared with niraparib alone. No treatment-related deaths occurred. The efficacy observed with this chemotherapy-free combination of approved agents in women with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer warrants further evaluation. A randomised phase 3 trial investigating niraparib plus bevacizumab versus chemotherapy plus bevacizumab in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer is planned. Nordic Society of Gynaecological Oncology and Tesaro.

ObjectiveIntraoperative detection of ovarian sentinel nodes has been shown to be feasible. We examined the detection rate and locations of sentinel nodes in patients with ovarian tumors. We also aimed to assess the reliability of sentinel node method in predicting regional lymph node metastasis.MethodsTwenty patients scheduled for laparotomy because of a pelvic mass were recruited to the study. In the beginning of the laparotomy, radioisotope and blue dye were injected under the serosa next to the junction of the ovarian tumor and suspensory ligament. The number and locations of the hot and/or blue nodes/spots were recorded during the operation. If the tumor was malignant according to the frozen section, systematic lymphadenectomies were performed, the sentinel nodes sampled separately, and their status compared with other regional lymph nodes.ResultsEleven patients had a right-sided ovarian tumor, 7 patients a left-sided tumor, and 2 patients had bilateral tumors. A median of 2 sentinel nodes/locations per patient (range, 1–3) were found. Sixty percent of all sentinel nodes were located in the para-aortic region only, compared with 30% in both para-aortic and pelvic areas and 10% in pelvic area only. Both unilateral and bilateral locations were found. In 83% of the cases with more than 1 sentinel node location, they were located in separate anatomical regions. In 3 patients, systematic lymphadenectomies were performed. One of them had nodal metastases in 2 regions and also a metastasis in 1 of her 2 sentinel nodes in 1 of those regions.ConclusionsIn patients with ovarian tumor(s), the detection of sentinel nodes is feasible. They are located in different anatomic areas both ipsilaterally and contralaterally, although most of them are found in the para-aortic region. The reliability of the sentinel node concept should be evaluated in the framework of a multicenter trial.

BackgroundRadical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy represents the standard treatment for early-stage cervical cancer. Results from a recent randomized controlled trial demonstrate that minimally invasive surgery is inferior to laparotomy with regards to disease-free and overall survival.Primary ObjectiveTo investigate the oncologic safety of robot-assisted surgery for early-stage cervical cancer as compared with standard laparotomy.Study HypothesisRobot-assisted laparoscopic radical hysterectomy is non-inferior to laparotomy in regards to recurrence-free survival with the advantage of fewer post-operative complications and superior patient-reported outcomes.Trial DesignProspective, multi-institutional, international, open-label randomized clinical trial. Consecutive women with early-stage cervical cancer will be assessed for eligibility and subsequently randomized 1:1 to either robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery or laparotomy. Institutional review board approval will be required from all participating institutions. The trial is coordinated from Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden.Major Inclusion/Exclusion CriteriaWomen over 18 with cervical cancer FIGO (2018) stages IB1, IB2, and IIA1 squamous, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous will be included. Women are not eligible if they have evidence of metastatic disease, serious co-morbidity, or a secondary invasive neoplasm in the past 5 years.Primary EndpointRecurrence-free survival at 5 years between women who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery versus laparotomy for early-stage cervical cancer.Sample SizeThe clinical non-inferiority margin in this study is defined as a 5-year recurrence-free survival not worsened by >7.5%. With an expected recurrence-free survival of 85%, the study needs to observe 127 events with a one-sided level of significance (α) of 5% and a power (1−β) of 80%. With 5 years of recruitment and 3 years of follow-up, the necessary number of events will be reached if the study can recruit a total of 768 patients.Estimated Dates for Completing Accrual and Presenting ResultsTrial launch is estimated to be May 2019 and the trial is estimated to close in May 2027 with presentation of data shortly thereafter.Trial RegistrationThe trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03719547).

ObjectiveOvarian cancer is characterized by late-stage diagnoses and poor prognosis. We aimed to identify factors that can inform prevention and early detection of ovarian cancer.MethodsWe used a data-driven machine learning approach to identify predictors of epithelial ovarian cancer from 2920 input features measured 12.6 years (IQR 11.9 to 13.3 years) before diagnoses. Analyses included 221 732 female participants in the UK Biobank without a history of cancer. During the follow-up 1441 women developed ovarian cancer. For factors that contributed to model prediction, we used multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the association with ovarian cancer, with evidence for causality tested by Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses in the Ovarian Cancer Genetics Consortium (25 509 cases).ResultsGreater parity and ever-use of oral contraception were associated with lower ovarian cancer risk (ever vs never OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.84). After adjustment for established risk factors, greater height, weight, and greater red blood cell distribution width were associated with increased ovarian cancer risk, while higher aspartate aminotransferase levels and mean corpuscular volume were associated with lower risk. MR analyses confirmed observational associations with anthropometric/adiposity traits (eg, body fat percentage per standard deviation (SD); OR inverse-variance weighted (ORIVW) 1.28, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.46) and aspartate aminotransferase (ORIVW 0.87, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.98). MR also provided genetic evidence for a protective association of higher total serum protein on ovarian cancer, higher lymphocyte count on serous and endometrioid ovarian cancer, and greater forced expiratory volume in 1 s on serous ovarian cancer among other findings.ConclusionsThis study shows that certain risk factors for ovarian cancer are modifiable, suggesting that weight reduction and interventions to reduce the number of ovulations may provide potential for future prevention. We also identified blood biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer years before diagnoses, warranting further investigation.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated limited efficacy in overcoming immunosuppression in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Although certain patients experience long‐term treatment benefit, reliable biomarkers for responder pre‐selection and the distinction of dominant immunosuppressive mechanisms have yet to be identified. Here, we used a 40‐marker suspension mass cytometry panel to comprehensively phenotype peripheral blood leukocytes sampled over time from patients with relapsed EOC who underwent combination oleclumab (anti‐CD73) and durvalumab (anti‐PD‐L1) immunotherapy in the NSGO‐OV‐UMB1/ENGOT‐OV30 trial. We found that survival duration was impacted by baseline abundances of total peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Longitudinal analyses revealed a significant increase in CD14+CD16− myeloid cells during treatment, with significant expansion of monocytic myeloid‐derived suppressor cells occurring in patients with shorter progression‐free survival, who additionally showed a continuous decrease in central memory T‐cell abundances. All patients demonstrated significant PD‐L1 upregulation over time on most T‐cell subsets. Higher CD73 and IDO1 expression on certain leukocytes at baseline significantly positively correlated with longer progression‐free survival. Overall, our study proposes potential biomarkers for EOC immunotherapy personalization and response monitoring; however, further validation in larger studies is needed. Using mass cytometry, we analyzed serial blood samples from patients with relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated with oleclumab–durvalumab combination immunotherapy in the NSGO‐OV‐UMB1/ENGOT‐OV30 trial. Our analysis identified potential predictive, monitoring, and response biomarkers detectable through liquid biopsy. These findings facilitate the advancement of strategies for patient pre‐selection and treatment personalization to address the limited efficacy of immunotherapy in EOC.

BackgroundPrevious results obtained from serum samples of late-stage, high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients showed large alterations in lipid metabolism. To validate and extend the results, we studied lipidomic changes in early-stage ovarian tumours. In addition to serous ovarian cancer, we investigated whether these changes occur in mucinous and endometrioid histological subtypes as well.MethodsAltogether, 354 serum or plasma samples were collected from three centres, one from Germany and two from Finland. We performed lipidomic analysis of samples from patients with malignant (N = 138) or borderline (N = 25) ovarian tumours, and 191 controls with benign pathology. These results were compared to previously published data.ResultsWe found 39 lipids that showed consistent alteration both in early- and late-stage ovarian cancer patients as well as in pre- and postmenopausal women. Most of these changes were already significant at an early stage and progressed with increasing stage. Furthermore, 23 lipids showed similar alterations in all investigated histological subtypes.ConclusionsChanges in lipid metabolism due to ovarian cancer occur in early-stage disease but intensify with increasing stage. These changes occur also in other histological subtypes besides high-grade serous carcinoma. Understanding lipid metabolism in ovarian cancer may lead to new therapeutic and diagnostic alternatives.

Background/Aim: The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin is the standard chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Previous studies have implied that vitamin D (1,25-D3) may have growth inhibitory effects in ovarian cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of paclitaxel, carboplatin and 1,25-D3 on the growth of ovarian cancer cells in vitro, based on the hypothesis that 1,25-D3 might potentiate the effect of paclitaxel and/or carboplatin. Materials and Methods: Three non-commercial ovarian carcinoma cell lines UT-OV-1(mucinous), UT-OV-3B (serous) and UT-OV-4 (endometrioid) were exposed to different concentrations of 1,25-D3, paclitaxel and carboplatin, respectively. The cell viability was measured using a Crystal violet assay kit. The cellular vitamin D receptor (VDR) mRNA levels were measured by qRT-PCR using the LightCycler equipment. Results: The growth-inhibitory effect of the combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin was 56% in UT-OV-1, 33% in UT-OV-3B and 47% in UT-OV-4 cells. Single 1,25-D3 (10 μM) inhibited the growth of UT-OV-3B and UT-OV-4 by 23% and 28%, respectively, whereas no effect was seen in UT-OV-1 cells. These results are in line with the finding that the expression of VDR was high in UT-OV-3B and UT-OV-4, but very low in UT-OV-1. The combination of 1,25-D3, paclitaxel and carboplatin resulted in 61%, 46% and 58% growth reduction in UT-OV-1, UT-OV-3B and UT-OV-4 cells, respectively. The additive effect of 1,25-D3 was 21% in UT-OV-4, 20% in UT-OV-3B and 12% in UT-OV-1 cell line. Conclusion: The results imply that combining 1,25-D3 with paclitaxel and carboplatin may potentiate their growth inhibitory effect on ovarian cancer cells with high VDR expression.

ObjectivesElevated concentrations of polyamines have been found in urine of patients with malignant tumors, including ovarian cancer. Previous research has suffered from poorly standardized detection methods. Our liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method is capable of simultaneous standardized analysis of most known polyamines. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry has not previously been used in the differential diagnostics of ovarian tumors in postmenopausal women.Materials and MethodsIn this prospective study, postmenopausal women (n = 71) presenting with an adnexal mass and, as controls, women with genital prolapse or urinary incontinence scheduled for surgery (n = 22) were recruited in the study. For analysis of the polyamines, a morning urine sample was obtained before surgery. Preoperative serum CA125 concentrations were determined in the study group.ResultsTwenty-three women with benign and 37 with malignant ovarian tumors were eligible. Of all analyzed polyamines, only urinary N1,N12-diacetylspermine showed statistically significant differences between all groups except controls versus benign tumors. N1,N12-diacetylspermine was elevated in malignant versus benign tumors (P < 0.001), in high-grade versus low malignant potential tumors (P < 0.001), in stage III to IV versus stage I to II cancers (P < 0.001), and even in early-stage cancer (stage I–II) versus benign tumors (P = 0.017). N1,N12-diacetylspermine had better sensitivity (86.5%) but lower specificity (65.2%) for distinguishing benign and malignant ovarian tumors than CA125 with a cut-off value of 35 kU/L (sensitivity, 75.7%; specificity, 69.6%).ConclusionsUrinary N1,N12-diacetylspermine seems to be able to distinguish benign and malignant ovarian tumors as well as early and advanced stage, and low malignant potential and high-grade ovarian cancers from each other, respectively.

Background Ovarian cancer (OC) is commonly diagnosed among older women who have comorbidities. This hypothesis‐free phenome‐wide association study (PheWAS) aimed to identify comorbidities associated with OC, as well as traits that share a genetic architecture with OC. Methods We used data from 181,203 white British female UK Biobank participants and analysed OC and OC subtype‐specific genetic risk scores (OC‐GRS) for an association with 889 diseases and 43 other traits. We conducted PheWAS and colocalization analyses for individual variants to identify evidence for shared genetic architecture. Results The OC‐GRS was associated with 10 diseases, and the clear cell OC‐GRS was associated with five diseases at the FDR threshold (p = 5.6 × 10−4). Mendelian randomizaiton analysis (MR) provided robust evidence for the association of OC with higher risk of “secondary malignant neoplasm of digestive systems” (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.33, 2.02), “ascites” (1.48, 95% CI 1.17, 1.86), “chronic airway obstruction” (1.17, 95% CI 1.07, 1.29), and “abnormal findings on examination of the lung” (1.51, 95% CI 1.22, 1.87). Analyses of lung spirometry measures provided further support for compromised respiratory function. PheWAS on individual OC variants identified five genetic variants associated with other diseases, and seven variants associated with biomarkers (all, p ≤ 4.5 × 10−8). Colocalization analysis identified rs4449583 (from TERT locus) as the shared causal variant for OC and seborrheic keratosis. Conclusions OC is associated with digestive and respiratory comorbidities. Several variants affecting OC risk were associated with other diseases and biomarkers, with this study identifying a novel genetic locus shared between OC and skin conditions. Using a hypothesis‐free phenome‐wide association analysis, we identified common comorbidities of ovarian cancer including digestive and respiratory diseases. We further discovered a shared genetic locus between ovarian cancer and certain diseases including seborrheic keratosis.