Looking to the Future of PARP Inhibitors in CRPC

Tanya Dorff, MD, associate clinical professor, Department of Medical Oncology &Therapeutics Research, and head of the genitourinary cancers program, City of Hope, discusses recent data with olaparib (Lynparza) in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and the future role of PARP inhibitors in this disease.

In recently published data, olaparib induced responses in a high percentage of patients with DNA repair deficiency mutations. Using PARP inhibitors appears to be a successful strategy in CRPC and there are many PARP inhibitors in development.

The key will be defining the right mutations and the right setting where these agents work best. Dorff notes that PARP inhibitors that work in later lines of therapy appear to be more effective earlier.

Within the next couple of years, there will be data directly comparing olaparib with physician's choice of therapy, which will help investigators understand the value of PARP inhibitors and place them in the treatment landscape.