Dr. O’Malley on the Promise of Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Ovarian Cancer

David M. O'Malley, MD, professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine, director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology and Clinical Research in Gynecologic Oncology, co-director, Gynecologic Oncology Phase I Program, The OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center–James, discusses the promise of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in ovarian cancer.

ADCs are an exciting class of agents that are being evaluated for the treatment of women with ovarian cancer, says O’Malley. Currently, ADCs targeted toward antigens, including folate receptor α, NaPi2b, tissue factor, mesothelium, and MUC16, are being evaluated, O’Malley explains.

These antigens have variable, but high, expression on ovarian cancer cells, O’Malley says. Moreover, ADCs offer a potentially promising treatment approach in ovarian cancer because these antigens are expressed specifically on ovarian cancer cells, concludes O’Malley.