WHAT’S NEW IN OVARIAN CANCER?

Avastin: The drug Avastin (bevacizumab) was approved in Europe in 2011 as a part of first-line treatment for women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer. It’s currently used in recurrent ovarian cancer and available through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Surgical devices: The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, The Christie in Manchester and the Panbirmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre have all got specialised surgical devices, such as the Plasmajet machine, which uses hot plasma energy to safely destroy cancer cells, and the iknife, an intelligent knife that can tell the difference between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue.

Olaparib: Part of a group of drugs called PARP inhibitors, it’s currently only available for women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation (affecting between 5-15 per cent of women with ovarian cancer). It can be used as part of third-line treatment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in Scotland it’s available to anyone with recurrent ovarian cancer. The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust’s SOLO-1 trial showed its effectiveness at progressionfree survival for women as part of first-line maintenance therapy.

Niraparib: Another member of the PARP inhibitor family, Niraparib is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for all women with recurrent ovarian cancer, including women without the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. In Scotland it’s only available for women who do not have the genetic mutation.