Genetic Testing Can Help Guide Ovarian Cancer Treatment Decisions

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Genetic Testing and PARP Inhibitors

Genetic testing can empower women with valuable information to guide ovarian cancer treatment
A class of drugs called PARP inhibitors can offer a particular benefit for women with BRCA 1, BRCA 2, PALB2, and ATM gene mutations
But women who test negative for these gene mutations may also be able to benefit from PARP inhibitors, recent research has shown

All women diagnosed with ovarian cancer should have genetic testing done if they haven’t already. These tests can empower women with incredibly valuable information — not only about their inherited cancer risks and the risks facing their family members, but also about specific treatments that might benefit their specific cancer.

“Certain individuals with ovarian cancer, if they proceed with genetic testing and they test positive in specific genes, they might benefit the most from having PARP inhibitor medicine prescribed for them as treatment for their ovarian cancer,” says Lauren Mills, a genetic counselor at UT Health San Antonio. PARP inhibitors, a promising class of drugs that work by preventing cancer cells from repairing their own damaged DNA, have been shown to work especially well in women whose cancers have mutations in specific genes, including:

BRCA 1
BRCA 2
PALB2
ATM

“Individuals who have mutations in [these genes] can all benefit from having PARP inhibitors,” says Mills. Having said that, Mills also points out that even women who test negative for mutations in these specific genes may benefit from PARP inhibitors. In the past, it was thought that only women who had these specific gene mutations could benefit from PARP inhibitors, but recent research has shown that, although these genetic mutations might mean a greater benefit from the drugs, almost all women with ovarian cancer can benefit from PARP inhibitors at some point in their cancer treatment plan, regardless of their specific mutation status.

Most recently, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released new guidelines recommending 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.

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Lauren Mills is a genetic counselor at UT Health San Antonio. Read More

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