Clinical Trials That Have Changed Practice at The Princess Margaret and Beyond

OVARIAN CANCER

As the Head of the Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Dr. Amit Oza has seen a lot of breakthroughs in treatment at The Princess Margaret, including ovarian cancer.

Dr. Oza was involved with a clinical trial that showed the cancer drug, Bevacizumab, is effective in improving ovarian cancer outcomes. For high-risk patients, it could also potentially improve survival.

“It identified a new way of treating ovarian cancer,” says Dr. Oza.

The Princess Margaret was also at the forefront of studying PARP inhibitors, or pharmacological inhibitors of an enzyme, with a drug called Olaparib that has improved outcomes for women with and without the BRCA gene mutation.

“It was available in clinical trials for ovarian cancer patients five to eight years before it became available as standard of care in some other countries. It shows the opportunity of leveraging drugs that are at a very early stage.”