PARP INHIBITORS IN OVARIAN CANCER THERAPY

Ovarian cancer is responsible for the highest number of deaths of all female genital cancers. It is ranked as the sixth in the incidence and fourth in the mortality rate of malignant tumours in women in Poland. The disease is initially asymptomatic, which is why it is usually detected at advanced stages. More than 70% of ovarian cancer cases are detected at the stage III or IV according to the FIGO classification. The treatment of ovarian cancer is mainly based on surgery combined with systemic treatment (chemotherapy based on platinum derivatives and taxanes). Although most patients achieve a good response to first -line chemotherapy, there is usually a recurrence and drug resistance at a later stage, and the prognosis for recurrence is poor. PARP (Poly ADP -ribose polymerase) inhibitors are a new class of oral anticancer drugs that target DNA repair pathways and have shown promising efficacy in ovarian cancer patients in recent clinical trials. Olaparib, rucaparib and niraparib are innovative drugs currently changing clinical practice in ovarian cancer patients.