May 2022: Trametinib may become a new standard of care for recurring, low-grade serous ovarian cancer (Mekinist). According to study findings published in the February 2022 issue of The Lancet, trametinib beat both chemotherapy and anti-estrogens like tamoxifen by around 52 percent, adding six months of progression-free (period during which the cancer did not advance) survival for patients.
In 260 women with recurrent serous ovarian tumours who had previously received chemotherapy, researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom compared once-daily oral trametinib to one of five standard of care regimens (either chemotherapy or anti-estrogen medications). When compared to usual treatment, trametinib participants showed a fourfold higher response to therapy after 15 months. Trametinib outperformed all other treatments, slowing disease progression for 13 months (versus seven months for standard treatment). Skin rash, anaemia, high blood pressure, diarrhoea, and weariness are some of the potentially dangerous adverse effects of trametinib treatment.
Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is a difficult-to-treat invasive form of ovarian cancer marked by strong hormone receptor activation, genetic alterations, and poor chemotherapy response. Until now, the cancer toolbox lacked effective therapeutic options for patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer. According to an editorial accompanying the report, 70% of these women will recur, with only 5% responding to further chemotherapy.
