Similar Outcomes With Maintenance Olaparib for gBRCA-Mutated Pancreatic Cancer, Regardless of Patient Age

Results of additional analyses of elderly patients in the phase 3 POLO trial showed the safety of maintenance olaparib for gBRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic cancer to be consistent regardless of age, according to data presented at the virtual 22nd ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer.

“In the phase 3 POLO trial, maintenance olaparib provided a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS), versus placebo, in patients with a germline BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation whose disease had not progressed during first-line platinum-based chemotherapy,” wrote Hedy Kindler, MD, and co-investigators.

Additional sub-analyses by age group were completed to determine the efficacy and safety of maintenance olaparib for patients aged ≥65 years.

Patients were randomized to receive maintenance olaparib or placebo after up to 16 weeks of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Of 92 patients in the olaparib arm, 28 (30%) were aged ≥65 years compared with 13 (21%) of 62 patients in the placebo arm. There was no baseline difference in physical functioning scores between age groups.

The 1-year PFS rate was 21% in the olaparib arm versus 41% in the placebo arm; however, at 2 years, 21% of the olaparib arm remained progression-free versus 0% of placebo-arm patients.

Among older responders, duration of first-line chemotherapy was 3.7 to 5.6 months, and baseline characteristics were consistent with younger responders.

As of data cut-off, response duration was 10.2 to 32.2 months.

In total, 43% of olaparib-treated patients aged ≥65 years experienced a grade 3 or 4 adverse event versus 33% of placebo-treated patients in the same age group. Results were consistent between age groups.

Dr Kindler et al concluded that patient age did not appear to impact efficacy or safety of maintenance olaparib therapy.—Kaitlyn Manasterski

Kindler H, Hammel P, Reni M, et al. Maintenance olaparib in patients aged ≥65 years with a germline BRCA mutation and metastatic pancreatic cancer: Phase III POLO trial. Presented at: the 22nd ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer; July 1-4, 2020; virtual. Abstract SO-3.