Benedict Benigno
Ovarian Cancer Institute, USA
Title: Ovarian cancer genetics and targeted treatment
Biography
Biography: Benedict Benigno
Abstract
Very little has changed in the management of patients with ovarian cancer in the last 30 years. Carboplatinum and Taxol are still given as first-line chemotherapy, and drugs such as Doxil, Gemzar and Topotecan, among others, are given for recurrent disease. Avastin, a VEGF inhibitor, is added to a chemotherapy regimen or is given alone. The PARP inhibitors represent a new class of drugs for patients with ovarian cancer. Unlike chemotherapy drugs, which work in various stages of division in the cell cycle, these drugs exert their effect within breaks in the DNA molecule. They are given orally and are far better tolerated than cytotoxic chemotherapy. They can be given only under very strict guidelines, but in those patients who were eligible to take them, we are seeing startling results. Even in patients who have failed three prior regimens of chemotherapy, there is an objective response rate of 34%. This lecture will address the role of these agents in the modern management of ovarian cancer. Physiology, dosage, results and complications will be discussed in detail so that the audience will have an in-depth understanding of this extraordinary new class of drugs.