BRCA Mutation Status to Personalize Management of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: A Multicenter Study

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between BRCA mutation status and disease presentation, treatment strategy, and survival in a multicenter series of recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) women.

A consecutive series of recurrent HGSOC patients with partially or fully platinum-sensitive disease admitted to the Gynecologic Oncology Units of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Sapienza University of Rome. Main eligibility criteria were known BRCA 1/2 germline mutation status and a minimum follow-up period from recurrence of at least 6 months.

Overall, 126 patients met the eligibility criteria, of whom 76 (60%) were BRCA wild-type (BRCAwt) and 50 (40%) were BRCA 1/2 germline mutation carriers (BRCAmut). Among the latter, 37 (74%) patients presented with BRCA1 mutation, and 13 (26%) presented with BRCA2. No differences were found regarding patterns of disease presentation between BRCAwt and BRCAmut women. BRCAmut patients had the best post-recurrence survival (PRS) regardless of having received secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) or not, with a 5-year PRS of 73% in non-resected women versus 78% in resected women (p = 0.558). Conversely, BRCAwt patients who underwent complete SCS had a significantly longer PRS compared with BRCAwt patients who did not receive surgery (5-year PRS of 54% vs. 42%; p = 0.048).

Recurrent ovarian cancer BRCAmut patients have the best prognosis regardless of SCS, whereas PRS in BRCAwt women can improve when complete SCS is performed. The identification and incorporation of predictive biomarkers such as BRCA status to tailor the medical and surgical approach is paramount to the success of recurrent HGSOC treatments.