What’s it Like to Take a PARP Inhibitor?
SHARE

Medically Reviewed
SurvivorNet Fact Checking and Medical Review Standards:  The SurvivorNet News Team creates high quality medical information that complies with our industry leading standards for factual accuracy and sourcing from leading experts at academic medical institutions. Every news article is thoroughly fact-checked by our physician collaborators. We vet each piece of work for factual integrity, impartiality, and clearly label any professional conflicts.All SurvivorNet articles adhere to the following standards:
  1. All studies and research papers cited are from reputable academic medical institutions or peer-reviewed journals.
  2. When we use data, statistics, or quotes these references link to the original source.
  3. All content related to new treatments, drugs, procedures, and so on must clearly describe availability, side effects, treatment target (such as triple negative breast cancer)
  4. All medical information on SurvivorNet is sourced from respected medical professionals with verified medical credentials and links are provided to these sources.
  5. We strive to give the reader relevant background information and include, clearly-sourced contextual health information in all articles
6) Readers are clearly alerted to any conflicts of interest from a medical source or the authors of a cited study.
/ Updated October 17th, 2023

What’s it Like to Take a PARP Inhibitor?

Medically Reviewed: Dr. Monica Vetter Written by: Dr. Rebecca Arend
University of Alabama-Birmingham
×

While the three approved PARP inhibitors, Olaparib (Lynparza), Niraparib (Zejula), and Rucaparib (Rubraca), have been shown to be beneficial for many patients at all stages of ovarian cancer, they come with a risk of side effects that women should consider when making their treatment choices.

We spoke to Dr. Rebecca Arend, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to discuss the side effects of PARP inhibitors and what patients can expect when taking them.

Read More
According to Dr. Arend, women are likely to experience some initial side effects in the first few months after treatment, including:

  • Nausea
  • Stomach Cramps
  • Fatigue, which is typically the most severe symptom
  • Bone marrow suppression (a decrease in bone marrow activity that results in reduced production of blood cells)
If women can get through the first two months of treatment, however, these side effects typically subside, says Dr. Arend.

“What we’ve found is that if you can get through the first two months of being on maintenance therapy … then you actually start to feel better,” says Dr. Arend. Physicians aren’t clear on exactly why this improvement generally occurs.

According to Dr. Arend, “we don’t know for sure is it that women are becoming more used to it as their sort of (sic) pace of living? Or is it that their fatigue really goes away?” In any case, women typically start feeling better after two months.

Other possible sides effects that are less common include hypertension, heart palpitations and bone marrow suppression.

Patients should take into account multiple factors when deciding on which PARP inhibitor to choose, says Dr. Arend, as there aren’t hard and fast rules. These factors include:

  • Insurance coverage: Which drug does your insurance cover the most? Which is best for your financial situation?
  • Disease progression: One drug may be best for you depending on the stage of your cancer treatment.
  • Sensitivity to platinum-based chemo: Have you responded well to chemotherapy? That can help determine which inhibitor may be best for you.

PARP inhibitors are now available to almost all women, though women with BRCA gene mutations or whose tumors have HRD (a measure of how well their cancer cell DNA replicates) may benefit the most from these drugs.

However, 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.

Dr. Arend makes clear that all three PARP inhibitors have side effects (similar with some important variations), so a decision will come down to a conversation with your personal doctor.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Dr. Rebecca Arend is an Associate Scientist at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center Experimental Therapeutics Program. Read More

PARP for Recurrence

PARP inhibitors, which block the ability of cancer tumors to repair their DNA, are an important therapy for women whose ovarian cancer has returned.

NOW
PLAYING
When PARP Inhibitors Stop Working: Testing Combinations
NOW
PLAYING
Women with Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Are Living Longer on PARP Inhibitors
NOW
PLAYING
Weighing the Benefits of PARP Inhibitors
NOW
PLAYING
Who Can Receive PARP Inhibitors?
NOW
PLAYING
Managing Side Effects: Which PARP Inhibitor Is Right For Me?
NOW
PLAYING
Costs and Barriers to Getting PARP Inhibitors

Patient Pathfinder:

Clinical Trial Finder

Are you looking for other treatment options?
Right now there are ... ovarian cancer trials in the U.S. within 100 miles of

Enter your zip code and travel distance to explore trials in your area...

Continue The Journey

Explore: Living with Cancer

Related Articles

For Advanced Lung Cancer With the EGFR Mutation, the Drug Tagrisso & Chemotherapy Extends Life; A Promising New Approval

Recurrence

Elahere: A Promising New Treatment Option for Folate Receptor-Positive Ovarian Cancer

Recurrence

Getting Treated For Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer – The New Drug Elahere Offers Hope

Recurrence

If You’re Considering Elahere For Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Treatment — Here’s What You Need To Know

×

Introducing, the Journey Bar

Use this bar to access information about the steps in your cancer journey.