Dr. Mirza on the Phase III NOVA Trial in Ovarian Cancer

Mansoor Raza Mirza, MD, chief oncologist, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, discusses the results of the phase III NOVA trial during an interview at the 2016 ESMO Congress.

The study randomized patients in a 2:1 ratio across 2 independent cohorts. In the first cohort, patients with germline BRCA mutations received the PARP inhibitor niraparib at 300 mg daily or placebo. In the second cohort, patients with non-germline BRCA-mutant tumors received the agent or placebo.

After a median follow-up of 16.9 months, the median progression-free survival with niraparib was 21 months compared with 5.5 months for placebo in patients with germline BRCA mutations. These results were, overall, clinically meaningful, explains Mirza.