Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Evaluating In Vitro DNA Damage Using Comet Assay
Published on: October 11, 2017
Specific Toxicity of Maintenance Olaparib Versus Placebo in Advanced Malignancies: A Systematic Review and
Angela Dalia Ricci1, Alessandro Rizzo2, Marco Novelli3
1Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy dalia.ricci@gmail.com.
Background/Aim:
We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the safety of maintenance with olaparib after platinum-based chemotherapy in cancer patients.
Materials And Methods:
Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the clinical role of olaparib maintenance therapy versus placebo in BRCA-mutated, advanced cancers. Safety profile from each selected study was investigated for all-grade and G3-G4 haematological and non-haematological adverse drug events (ADEs).
Results:
Four RTCs that involved 1099 patients were included in the analysis. Overall incidences of all-grade and G3-4 ADEs in olaparib group were 97.6% and 41%, respectively. Patients treated with maintenance olaparib showed higher risk of all-grade and G3-G4 anaemia, all-grade neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Moreover, all-grade and G3-G4 fatigue, all-grade vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea and decreased appetite were more common in the olaparib group compared to placebo.
Conclusion:
Despite an increased risk and incidence of several haematological and non-haematological toxicities, olaparib is a relatively safe agent for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. Prompt identification of ADEs is mandatory to avoid therapy discontinuation and optimize treatment.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Cancer Survival Analysis
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...
Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules

