Personalised treatment becomes a reality for women with hereditary ovarian cancer
26 July 2019
Today, women with hereditary ovarian cancer have been granted faster access to a life-extending drug by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
PARP inhibitor olaparib is now available to women with newly diagnosed BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian, fallopian and peritoneal cancer following first-line chemotherapy and offers another treatment option where there was not one before.
Olaparib, also known as Lynparza, is a maintenance treatment; it doesn’t cure ovarian cancer but it does prevent its progression. By delaying the spread of the disease, women can feel better and live healthier lives for longer.
Previously the treatment was only available to patients with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer who had undergone three or more courses of platinum-based chemotherapy with sufficient progression-free intervals in-between.
Ovarian Cancer Action ambassador Florence Wilks played a vital role in the committee’s decision to approve olaparib as a first-line maintenance treatment. Florence helped the committee panel understand the impact olaparib has had on her life.
