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PARP Inhibitor therapy can you have it more than once?

Caravans
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Hi, I have stage 4 Ovarian cancer which has spread into my peritoneum. I am on my second round of Chemo at present, following the first round my tumors had shrunk so I went on to Niraparib maintenance therapy tablets to try and keep it under control, however after 2 months the cancer was active again that is why I am now on my second round of chemo

My consultant has told me that following this round of Chemo that there is no current standard maintenance therapy once I have had once course of PARP Inhibitor therapy ( Niraparib)   

Is this right that once you have had Niraparib maintenance therapy you can not have it again?

Thank you for any advice 

Sue 

  • Dear Caravans,

     

    Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. My name is Kerry and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

    I can see that you’ve joined some of our forums, I hope you’re finding it helpful sharing your experiences with others.

    I’m sorry to hear of your cancer recurrence, I hope you are coping ok whilst having your 2nd round of chemotherapy.

    Maintenance therapies for stage 4 Ovarian cancer is very limited. PARP inhibitors have been a fairly new treatment line as a maintenance treatment for advanced ovarian cancer.  There are still research studies being undertaken regarding the long term effects of Niraparib.

    Niraparib is usually given until it no longer controls the cancer, therefore because you had progression your doctor may have felt that chemotherapy was needed again as you were no longer getting the therapeutic effects of the Niraparib and therefore has had to make the difficult decision to stop it.

    Here at Macmillan, we don’t have access to the NHS or your medical records therefore we can’t say for certain what specific types of treatments you may have as this depends on the type of Ovarian cancer cells you have and if you have any gene mutations or if your cancer is resistant to certain chemotherapy drugs.

    Your Oncologist will have discussed your case within a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT) to determine the most appropriate treatment plan for you whilst also following the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance.

    It may be helpful to discuss with your oncologist or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) regarding your concerns and ask if other treatments such as hormonal or targeted therapies would be appropriate or if there are any clinical trials once your chemotherapy has finished.

    Having uncertainty can be difficult, I hope you have support around you and do reach out to our support line if you would like to talk things through further.

    I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.

    Best wishes,

    Kerry,

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm), send us an email or contact us through webchat.

     

    Ref Kha/KM

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