A clinical trial for women with low grade serous ovarian cancer has shown positive results, with 31% of participants in the group seeing their tumours shrink or stop growing.

Between five and ten percent of all people diagnosed with ovarian cancer will be diagnosed with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, making it a rarer form of the disease. It is invasive and grows slowly on surface tissue. Unlike other more common forms of ovarian cancer its cells are more like normal body cells, which means it is less likely to respond to chemotherapy.

The new Ramp 201 study results treated patients with a combination of avutometinib and defactinib. Both these drugs work by blocking signals that encourage cancer cells to grow. The results in patients who had a mutation in a gene called KRAS were even more promising, with 44% of patients seeing their tumour shrink. This compares to 10% or under response rate to chemotherapy or hormone therapies.

Victoria Clare, Ovacome CEO said “We are really pleased to hear this news. People diagnosed with this rare form of ovarian cancer need more treatment options and these are really encouraging trial results. We welcome expansion of the trial to Phase 3, ensuring that many more people will be able to access it. This is a positive step forward for those in the UK with this disease.”

“At Ovacome we are committed to supporting people with rarer forms of ovarian cancer. An already isolating disease becomes even more so when diagnosed with a rarer form. I’d encourage anyone diagnosed contact Ovacome’s support line, open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, to find other ways we can support them.”

Professor Susana Banerjee, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and from the Institute of Cancer Research, London is leading the trial. Professor Banerjee recorded a webinar for Ovacome in November 2021 about the latest developments in low grade serous ovarian cancer which you can watch on this page on our website: https://www.ovacome.org.uk/low-grade-booklet.

Professor Banerjee said, “These are significant results from the second phase of this trial. The toxicities for patients are much lower, which means side effects are fewer than with some conventional treatments.

 “The combination of avutometinib and defactinib promises a new standard of care for people with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer. We’re now looking to recruit patients for our phase three trial and hope results will continue to show better outcomes for patients.”

 

 

For more information contact Rebecca Willgress, Communications and Engagement Manager

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 07555 565 922