Efficacy and safety of olaparib in the treatment of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Olaparib, an orally active inhibitor, has undergone comprehensive clinical evaluation as either single or combination therapy in several solid tumors. To explore the efficacy and safety of Olaparib versus placebo in the treatment of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We systemically searched through April 30, 2021 PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science for randomized control trials (RCTs) that compared Olaparib and placebo therapies for platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. The primary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) evaluated by Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI and the secondary outcome was adverse events calculated by the risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI. Results: A total of 3 RCTs, involving 592 patients in the Olaparib group and 359 patients in the placebo therapy, were included. The analysis results of RCTs showed that Olaparib had a significantly better PFS than placebo (HR 0.31; 95% CI 0.26–0.37; p ≤ 0.001), and the pooled OS of the Olaparib group was significantly higher than that of the placebo group (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.60–0.90; p = 0.003). Regarding safety, the main adverse events included nausea, fatigue, vomiting, anemia, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation, headache, dysgeusia and decreased appetite. Conclusions: Olaparib has a positive effect on platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer as related to progression and overall survival with an increase in adverse events being noted. This meta-analysis demonstrated that Olaparib maintenance therapy is generally well tolerated by the patients.

adverse events; efficacy; meta-analysis; ovarian cancer; olaparib; safety

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