A clinical trial has found that relacorilant, a drug originally developed for Cushing's syndrome, may extend survival in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The study, published in the Lancet, involved 381 patients and showed a 35% reduction in the risk of death for those taking relacorilant compared with standard care, with an average survival extension of four months.
Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer occurs when the disease progresses within six months of platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients typically survive only about a year after diagnosis, and treatment options are limited. The researchers concluded that relacorilant could become a new standard treatment option for these patients.
In a separate trial, the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab also showed benefits. Among 643 patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, those receiving pembrolizumab alongside usual care lived an average of 17.7 months, compared with 14 months for usual care alone. Pembrolizumab works by stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells.
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer among women in the UK, with around 7,600 cases diagnosed annually and about 3,900 deaths each year. Both drugs are at phase 3 trials and require further testing before approval in the UK, though they have already been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for this indication.
