Practical guidance on the use of olaparib capsules as maintenance therapy for women with BRCA mutations and platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer

Abstract

Olaparib is the first oral poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor to be approved as maintenance monotherapy for treatment of patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) serous ovarian cancer. This review provides practical guidance on the use of olaparib (capsule formulation) in the maintenance setting. The article focuses on the key toxicities that can arise with olaparib therapy and recommendations for their management. Nausea, vomiting, fatigue and anemia are the most commonly reported adverse events in olaparib clinical trials and are generally mild to moderate and transient in nature in most patients. Implementation of an effective and timely management plan can control many of the side effects. It is vital that health care providers effectively communicate the potential side effects of olaparib, as well as educate patients on management strategies to combat these symptoms. To this end, realistic expectations regarding the potential side effects need to be set, with an understanding that dose interruptions and modifications may be required to allow patients to continue receiving treatment.

Keywords: olaparib; ovarian cancer; practical guidance; side effects; toxicity.