Ovarian cancer therapy boosted by drug that could cut chance of dying

A new study suggests that a drug used to treat skin and lung cancers could slash the chance of dying from a type of ovarian cancer by more than half.

Researchers said that results from the study using the drug, called trametinib, are “so impressive” that the treatment should now be considered the standard of care for this rare type of cancer, known as low grade serous ovarian cancer.

The cancer occurs mostly in young women and is difficult to treat. It is often not diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage, with around 560 cases diagnosed in the UK each year.

According to the study, trametinib reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 52 per cent compared with hormonal treatment or chemotherapy.

The researchers, from the University of Edinburgh and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, also found that progression of the cancer was slowed by 13 months for patients on the drug, compared with seven months for those on standard care.

Trametinib was also associated with a fourfold increase in response to treatment compared to those who received standard care, the study suggests.

Standard treatment for this type of ovarian cancer usually involves surgery to remove all visible signs of the cancer, and may involve the removal of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, womb, cervix and omentum, a layer of tissue in the abdomen.

Patients will also likely be offered chemotherapy and hormone therapies that reduce or block oestrogen, which can encourage the growth of low grade serous ovarian cancer.

Charities and medical professionals said the findings of the study were “extremely positive news”.

Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “Low grade serous ovarian cancer disproportionately affects those under the age of 50.

“Standard treatments are generally less effective for this sub-type and there is a very urgent need to develop new drugs to transform outcomes.”

Professor Charlie Gourley, clinical director, Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, University of Edinburgh and senior author, said: “These findings represent a step change in the management of this difficult to treat cancer.

“We now need to build on this to provide further improvements in outcome for these patients.”

The study involved carrying out a randomised clinical trial involving 260 women from the UK and USA with low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Half of them were given trametinib and half received standard care of either hormone therapy or chemotherapy.

Researchers then assessed the effect on the tumours using CT or MRI scans every eight weeks for the first 15 months of treatment and every three months after.

The women also completed questionnaires on quality of life throughout the study.

The study, published in The Lancet, found that those who received trametinib reported a slightly lower quality of life at 12 weeks compared with those on standard care.

It was funded by Target Ovarian Cancer, Cancer Research UK, Novartis and NRG Oncology.

Additional reporting by PA