Olaparib, PARP1 inhibitor in ovarian cancer

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is the most important cause of gynecological cancer-related mortality. Conventional treatments for advanced or recurrent disease offer limited results in terms of long-term responses and survival. Researches have recently focused on target therapies, which represent a new, promising, therapeutic approach, able to maximizing tumor kill and minimizing toxicity. The family of polyadenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors is currently one of the most hopeful and investigated alternatives. Areas covered: Preclinical and clinical studies of Olaparib, the most investigated PARP inhibitor in ovarian cancer, are analyzed and discussed. Data were obtained by searching for all English peer-reviewed articles on Medline, on Cochrane Database and all on-going Phase I and II studies registered on National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials; also any related abstracts recently presented on Olaparib at major international congresses will be included. Expert opinion: Bad prognosis and drug resistance usually affect ovarian cancer. Recent trends toward the knowledge of molecular-specific pathways have produced new target drugs. PARP inhibition mediated by Olaparib in BRCA1 (breast cancer 1) and BRCA2 (breast cancer 2)-mutated and in sporadic ovarian cancer represents a promising field of investigation. Further studies are needed to confirm initial exciting results.