RESULTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE OLYMPIA CLINICAL TRIAL

Results from a global clinical trial have shown a 32% reduction in breast cancer deaths in patients where the cancer had not spread beyond the breast or under the arm.

The results were obtained using the drub olaparib in patients who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.

The results of an overall survival analysis of the global OlympiA study will be presented at a virtual plenary session of the European Society of Medical Oncology.

OlympiA was led in Australia by Breast Cancer Trials Study Chair and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Medical Oncologist, Professor Kelly-Anne Phillips.

The trial was coordinated internationally by the Breast International Group and recruited 1,836 patients worldwide, including 60 women from 12 participating institutions throughout Australia.

This was a phase III clinical trial, which tested the efficacy and safety of olaparib tablets versus a placebo. OlympiA found that giving olaparib tablets twice daily for a year to patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, after they have completed standard chemotherapy, improves overall survival rates.

Professor Phillips says these are important results for patients with potentially curable breast cancer.

“Approximately 5% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer have an underlying inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. This equates to roughly 1,000 women in Australia each year diagnosed with breast cancer. Typically, these women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age and may have a more aggressive form of the disease,” Professor Phillips said.

“The study also showed that overall quality of life was not adversely affected by olaparib compared with the placebo, so it is a generally well-tolerated treatment despite being a 12-month course.”

“Olaparib exploits an underlying defect that is present in the cancers of people with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, ensuring that cancer cells are more likely to die if treated with olaparib.”

“These results mean that genetic testing for inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 abnormalities will be important for most women with breast cancer to help determine if they might benefit from this new treatment.”

“These are significant and practice-changing results that provide a new treatment option for these patients. I sincerely thank all of our trial participants and participating institutions throughout Australia,” Professor Phillips said.

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