Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women, often diagnosed at advanced stages when it has spread beyond the ovaries. Standard treatment combines surgery to remove visible tumor and chemotherapy with platinum drugs and taxanes. Most people respond initially, but cancer often returns, leading to multiple rounds of treatment.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing PARP inhibitors as maintenance therapy after initial treatment and in recurrent disease, particularly for people with BRCA mutations. Immunotherapy combinations, antibody-drug conjugates targeting folate receptor alpha, and new chemotherapy regimens aim to improve outcomes when cancer returns. Researchers are also studying earlier detection methods and ovarian cancer prevention in high-risk women.
PARP inhibitors
Drugs like olaparib and niraparib block DNA repair in cancer cells, especially those with BRCA mutations. Multiple trials showed they can delay cancer recurrence when given as maintenance therapy after chemotherapy.
Antibody-drug conjugates
Mirvetuximab soravtansine delivers chemotherapy directly to cancer cells with folate receptor alpha on their surface, which includes most ovarian cancers. It received FDA approval in 2022 for platinum-resistant disease.
Immunotherapy combinations
Researchers are pairing checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, PARP inhibitors, or drugs targeting blood vessel growth. Early results suggest combinations may work better than immunotherapy alone in ovarian cancer.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on cancer stage, number of prior treatments, platinum sensitivity, BRCA or other genetic mutations, and performance status.
What types of trials are currently open
- Maintenance therapy trials — Testing PARP inhibitors and other drugs given after chemotherapy to delay cancer recurrence. These trials often enroll people whose cancer responded to platinum-based chemotherapy.
- Recurrent disease trials — Testing new chemotherapy combinations, targeted drugs, and antibody-drug conjugates in people whose cancer returned after initial treatment.
- Immunotherapy trials — Testing checkpoint inhibitors alone or combined with other treatments to help the immune system recognize and attack ovarian cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy trials — Testing drugs that block specific proteins like VEGF or PI3K that help cancer cells grow and spread.
- Early detection studies — Testing blood tests, imaging, and biomarkers to find ovarian cancer earlier, when treatment is more likely to be effective.
Recently added Ovarian Cancer trials
To Evaluate the Safety of Autologous Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes(TILs) for the Treatment of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and to investigate their efficacy in recurrent ovarian cancer. Participants undergo the following process: There must be a cancerous lesion available for biopsy or surgery, and enhanced tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are cultured from ovarian cancer tissue collected from the subject. These are processed into human cells for administration and injected into the subject.
Comparative Effects of Neurodynamic Stretch and Myofascial Pain Release in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
The study will be a non-blinded randomized controlled trial, consisting of two groups. Non-probability Convenience sampling will be used to recruit participants who will meet the inclusion criteria. Group allocation will be performed using the sealed envelope method to ensure randomization of participants into experimental and control groups. The sample size will be 38 (19 in each group). Group A will receive neurodynamic stretches while Group B will receive myofascial pain release technique.
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