Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Fertility Preservation in Patients with Severe Ovarian Dysfunction
Published on: March 25, 2021
Veliparib with First-Line Chemotherapy and as Maintenance Therapy in Ovarian Cancer
Robert L Coleman1, Gini F Fleming1, Mark F Brady1
1From the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (R.L.C.); University of Chicago Medicine (G.F.F.) and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University (D.C.), Chicago, and AbbVie, North Chicago (D.M.S., B.A.B., S.B., C.K.R., P.J.A., M.H.D.) - all in Illinois; NRG Oncology Statistical and Data Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo (M.F.B.), and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York (K.B.-M., C.A.) - both in New York; University of Washington-Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle (E.M.S.); Lillebaelt University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Vejle, and the University of Southern Denmark, Odense (K.D.S.); Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales and Royal Hospital for Women (M.F.), and the Northern Cancer Institute (S.B.-H.), Sydney; Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo (A. Okamoto), and Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya (M.M.) - both in Japan; Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City (K.N.M.); Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel (N.E.B.-B.); Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (T.L.W.); Texas Oncology, U.S. Oncology Research Network, Fort Worth (N.G.C.); Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona (A. Oaknin); Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI (P.A.D.); Penn Medicine, Philadelphia (M.A.M.); University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea (J.-H.N.); O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham (C.A.L.); Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, United Kingdom (S.N.); Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis (A.R.H.); Kaiser Permanente Northern California, San Francisco (R.D.L., M.A.B.); and H.M. Hospitales-Centro Integral Oncológico H.M. Clara Campal, Madrid (J.G.-D.).
Adding veliparib to initial chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients. Veliparib maintenance therapy showed the most benefit, though side effects like anemia and thrombocytopenia increased.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Clinical Trials
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Limited data exist on poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors like veliparib in initial high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma treatment.
- Veliparib is a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor investigated for cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy of veliparib combined with first-line chemotherapy and maintenance therapy in previously untreated high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.
- To evaluate veliparib's impact on progression-free survival in different patient cohorts.
Main Methods:
- An international, phase 3, placebo-controlled trial involving 1140 patients with stage III or IV high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.
- Patients received carboplatin and paclitaxel with either placebo or veliparib, followed by maintenance therapy.
- Random assignment to control, veliparib combination only, or veliparib throughout groups.
Main Results:
- Veliparib throughout significantly increased median progression-free survival across all populations (BRCA-mutation, HRD, and intention-to-treat).
- Median progression-free survival in the veliparib-throughout group ranged from 23.5 to 34.7 months, compared to 17.3 to 22.0 months in the control group.
- Increased incidence of anemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, and fatigue was observed with veliparib.
Conclusions:
- Initial treatment with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and veliparib followed by veliparib maintenance significantly improves progression-free survival in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.
- The benefit of veliparib during induction therapy without maintenance was less clear.
- Veliparib is a promising agent for initial treatment of ovarian carcinoma, but requires careful monitoring for side effects.
Related Concept Videos
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors
Among the PDE5 inhibitors, sildenafil (Revatio) stands out as a competitive and selective inhibitor. It operates by elevating cellular levels of cGMP and augmenting signaling through the cGMP-PKG pathway, promoting vasodilation. Upon oral...

