What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 345 patients with ovarian cancer. The study was sponsored by Xiangyun Zong and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Only 10% of women who got the hormone shot had ovarian damage, versus 45% with chemo alone.
JAMA oncology · 2022 · NCT02518191
These findings — that monthly shots during chemo cut the risk of lasting ovarian harm by more than three-quarters — were published in the JAMA oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 345 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with ovarian cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If you're facing chemotherapy for breast cancer and want to protect your ovaries, ask your oncologist about getting monthly hormone injections during treatment. This approach dramatically reduced ovarian damage in a large trial — especially helpful if you're hoping to preserve fertility or avoid early menopause. The injections are FDA-approved and didn't interfere with how well chemotherapy worked.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open ovarian cancer trials
A Study to Evaluate ARV-6723 Alone and With Pembrolizumab in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors
This is a study to evaluate the safety and potential anti-tumor activity of an investigational drug called ARV-6723, in participants with advanced solid tumors. This is an open-label study which means that participants and study staff will know that all participants will receive ARV-6723. The investigational drug ARV-6723 will be given as an oral tablet on its own and also in combination with other drugs. Researchers think that ARV-6723 can help the body's immune system to better recognize, attack, and destroy cancer cells in adults with advanced solid tumors. ARV-6723 is an investigational drug, and this is the first time ARV-6723 will be used in humans. Depending on the treatment assignment, the investigational drug, ARV-6723, will be given as an oral tablet either on its own (monotherapy) or in combination with pembrolizumab, either through a vein (intravenously or IV) or through an injection beneath the skin (subcutaneously or SQ). This study will include multiple parts: In Part A1 (Phase 1a), different small groups of participants will receive lower to higher doses of ARV-6723 as monotherapy or in combination with standard-dose of pembrolizumab. In Part A2 (Phase 1b), two groups of participants with specific tumor indication(s) (TBD) will receive one of two doses selected based on information from Part A1. Details of Part B will be determined based on information generated from Part A.
Testing Nivolumab With or Without Ipilimumab in Deficient Mismatch Repair System (dMMR) Recurrent Endometrial Carcinoma
This phase II trial tests whether the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab is better than nivolumab alone to shrink tumors in patients with deficient mismatch repair system (dMMR) endometrial carcinoma that has come back after a period of time during which the cancer could not be detected (recurrent). Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mismatch repair (MMR) is a system for recognizing and repairing damaged DNA. In 2-3% of endometrial cancers this may be due to a hereditary condition resulted from gene mutation called Lynch Syndrome (previously called hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer or HNPCC). MMR deficient cells usually have many DNA mutations. Tumors that have evidence of mismatch repair deficiency tend to be more sensitive to immunotherapy. There is some evidence that nivolumab with ipilimumab can shrink or stabilize cancers with deficient mismatch repair system. However, it is not known whether this will happen in endometrial cancer; therefore, this study is designed to answer that question. Monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab may be better than nivolumab alone in treating dMMR recurrent endometrial carcinoma.