New Therapies for Ovarian Cancer

In the latest NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer, the histologic subtypes of ovarian cancer are described in more depth as they vary by frequency, typical age and disease stage at presentation, treatment recommendations, and survival probabilities. The less common subtypes are also discussed. The update with the greatest impact on the treatment of ovarian cancer, however, is probably the use of maintenance therapy with poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, and 3 PARP inhibitors are now included in the guidelines. These drugs have made a large difference in outcome, both for patients with BRCA mutations and in unselected patients.