Am I Eligible To Take PARP Inhibitors?

The new class of ovarian cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors, which so far includes olaparib, rucaparib, and niraparib, is giving women especially  those with specific germline or tumor mutations an exciting sense of hope. PARP inhibitors are available to all women, though women with BRCA gene mutations or who are HRD proficient may benefit the most from these drugs. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)  guidelines recommend PARP inhibitors be offered to women, with or without genetic mutations, who are newly diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer and have improved with chemotherapy.

If your doctor does not bring up PARP inhibitors early-on during the course of your treatment, you should absolutely ask. Having this conversation could be vital to your long-term and progression-free survival.