Phase II study of enzalutamide in androgen receptor positive, recurrent, high- and low-grade serous ovarian cancer

Gynecol Oncol. 2022 Jan;164(1):12-17. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.10.087. Epub 2021 Nov 8.

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of the oral androgen receptor antagonist enzalutamide in patients with previously treated, recurrent, AR-positive (AR+) ovarian cancer.

Methods: This was a single-institution phase II study of patients with AR+ ovarian cancer with measurable disease with 1-3 prior lines of chemotherapy; patients were screened for enrollment from 11/2013-7/2018. Following consent, archival tissue was evaluated for AR+. Enrolled patients received daily enzalutamide 160 mg until progression of disease or treatment discontinuation. Adverse events were graded by CTCAE v4.0. Co-primary endpoints were 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6) and overall response rate (ORR) by RECIST 1.1 criteria.

Results: During the study period, 160 patients were screened and 59 (45 high-grade serous [HGS] and 14 low-grade serous [LGS]) consented to treatment on study. There was 1 confirmed and 1 unconfirmed partial response. The ORR was 1.7% (90% CI: 0.2-100%). The overall PFS6 rate (as binary) was 22% (90% CI: 15.1-100%). The 6-month PFS rate (as time to event) was 19.8% for HGS patients (90% CI: 12.7-100%) and 38.5% (90% CI: 21.7%-100%) for LGS patients. Grade 3 toxicities occurred in 6 patients (one toxicity (Grade 3 rash) was considered a dose-limiting toxicity). One patient died of cardiac arrest after 42 days on treatment of a cardiac arrest not attributed to study drug.

Conclusions: The study met its primary endpoint, with a PFS6 rate of 22% (n = 13); however, the overall response rate was low. Enzalutamide was well tolerated and may be a potential treatment option in select patients.

Keywords: Androgen receptor expression; Enzalutamide; Ovarian cancer; Recurrent ovarian cancer; Serous ovarian cancer.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase II
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
  • Benzamides / administration & dosage
  • Benzamides / therapeutic use*
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / drug therapy*
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / mortality
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • New York
  • Nitriles / administration & dosage
  • Nitriles / therapeutic use*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / mortality
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
  • Phenylthiohydantoin / administration & dosage
  • Phenylthiohydantoin / therapeutic use*
  • Progression-Free Survival
  • Receptors, Androgen / metabolism

Substances

  • Benzamides
  • Nitriles
  • Receptors, Androgen
  • Phenylthiohydantoin
  • enzalutamide