PARP Inhibitors Excite Prostate Cancer Treatment Paradigm

Maha Hussain, MD, the Genevieve E. Teuton Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, and deputy director at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses the current role of PARP inhibitors in the treatment landscape of prostate cancers and where she sees this therapeutic approach evolving in the coming years.

Olaparib (Lynparza) received approval in May 2020, for the treatment of patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic homogenous recombination repair (HRR) gene-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who progress following prior treatment with either enzalutamide (name) or abiraterone (name). The approval of this PARP inhibitor joins the approval of rucaparib (Rubraca) a few days early, which is indicated for deleterious BRCA mutation-assisted mCRPC.

There is a lot of excitement for PARP inhibitors in this space, says Hussain. There are many new agents undergoing evaluation currently in this space, which generates more excitement in the field. As these agents show promise in the more advanced setting, Hussain expects these will move earlier on in the treatment course for patients with prostate cancer, but it is important to be mindful that trials need to be designed to answer the right questions in order to make sure these therapies are appropriate for patients.