NIRVANA-1: maintenance therapy with niraparib versus niraparib-bevacizumab in patients with advanced ovarian cancer

Future Oncol. 2023 Aug;19(25):1715-1727. doi: 10.2217/fon-2023-0167. Epub 2023 Aug 31.

Abstract

Following the results of the PRIMA and PAOLA-1 trials, the most effective maintenance strategy for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage III patients is still debated, raising the question which of those two maintenance strategies is the most effective: PARP inhibitors alone or PARP inhibitors in combination with bevacizumab. The ongoing NIRVANA-1 study will try to answer this question by assessing the efficacy and safety of niraparib + bevacizumab in comparison with niraparib alone after adjuvant chemotherapy for completely resected stage III patients. Stratification factors include tumor BRCA status, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage (IIIA vs IIIB/IIIC) and the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy during surgery - within the OVHIPEC-2 trial. The primary end point will be progression-free survival rate at 24 months. Safety, median progression-free survival and overall survival will also be studied.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05183984.

Keywords: advanced ovarian cancer; bevacizumab; maintenance; niraparib.

Plain language summary

In many patients with ovarian cancer who are treated with platinum-based chemotherapy after surgery, the tumor comes back several months later. In order to minimize this risk, one treatment approach that has shown promising results is PARP inhibitors. This treatment works by inhibiting cancer cells' ability to repair themselves after DNA damage. One of the PARP inhibitors approved by medical authorities is niraparib, used as a solo therapy after surgery and chemotherapy. Nevertheless, the most effective maintenance strategy for patients in this setting is still debated. In a worldwide clinical trial called NIRVANA-1, researchers are investigating how niraparib would work if combined with another treatment called bevacizumab, which stops the growth of new blood vessels in tumors. Patients who participate in this trial will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: the combination of niraparib + bevacizumab or niraparib by itself. The main purpose of NIRVANA-1 is to understand whether the combination of niraparib and bevacizumab prevents the cancer from returning in patients with completely resected stage III ovarian cancer. The trial will also assess the safety of this combination compared with niraparib alone. At the time of this writing, NIRVANA-1 is open for new patients to join. Sponsored by ARCAGY-GINECO, the NIRVANA-1 trial is currently recruiting patients from France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Japan and Korea. The duration of the inclusion period is estimated to be around 36 months. The study is registered on ClinicalTrial.gov with registration number NCT05183984.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bevacizumab
  • Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Female
  • Genital Neoplasms, Male*
  • Humans
  • Ovarian Neoplasms*
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors
  • Pregnancy

Substances

  • niraparib
  • Bevacizumab
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05183984