Patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer had an 86 percent reduction in tumor size in a new study led by Verastem Oncology, according to a May 25 news release.
The biopharmaceutical company's ongoing research has been focused on evaluating the safety and efficacy of avutometinib, a medication that disrupts tumor cell proliferation and survival, on its own and in combination with defactinib, an oral medication that works to block some of the enzymes necessary for the growth of tumor cells.
Newly released data showed that 45 percent of the 29 patients in the trial responded to the treatments.
"There are currently no treatments that are FDA or EMA approved specifically for the treatment of [low-grade serous ovarian cancer], and this is clearly an area of unmet need," Rachel Grisham, MD, the study's principal U.S. investigator said in a statement. "These results indicate that the combination of avutometinib and defactinib shows promise as a tolerable treatment with impressive response rates for women with recurrent [low-grade serous ovarian cancer]. Importantly, high response rates were seen both in women with and without KRAS mutations."
Their findings will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.