Due to the high recurrence rate and low survival rate of ovarian cancer, as well as the limited availability of drugs other than chemotherapy in the past, the emergence of PARP inhibitors has brought hope for ovarian cancer treatment[15]. We aimed to explore the real-world data of olaparib and niraparib in Japan, as both agents target the same pathways but are used differently. Olaparib is primarily used as a single agent in maintenance therapy after first-line chemotherapy for BRCA-positive patients, based on the SOLO-1 study[8], and in combination with bevacizumab for HRD patients, based on the PAOLA-1 study[9]. Conversely, niraparib can be used regardless of biomarkers, based on the PRIMA study[11]. BRCA mutations and HRD are frequently observed in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma[16], suggesting that the niraparib group may have had fewer patients with serous carcinoma, BRCA-positive status, and HRD. The complete response rate after the most recent platinum-based chemotherapy was 47.3% in the olaparib group and 54.0% in the niraparib group. When limited to patients receiving maintenance therapy after first-line chemotherapy, the rate was 93.5% in the olaparib group and 60.7% in the niraparib group, similar to prior studies[8] [9] [11].
In this study, there were differences in adverse effects between the olaparib group and the niraparib group. Despite sharing the same pharmacological mechanism, the toxicity profile is different for both agents[17] [18]. The differences in adverse effects of these agents could be attributed to dosage schedule, half-life, drug interactions, and metabolism[19]. In this study, Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions in the olaparib group included anemia (25.2%), neutropenia (14.5%), thrombocytopenia (3.8%), and fatigue/nausea (15.3%), occurring more frequently than in previous studies [6] [7] [8] [9]. This discrepancy might be because the Japanese have a lower BMI than Westerners. Conversely, Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions in the niraparib group comprised anemia (14.0%), neutropenia (10.0%), thrombocytopenia (32.0%), and fatigue/nausea (6.0%), respectively, with these results either being the same or less frequent than in previous studies[10] [11] [20]. This may be because the starting dose for niraparib was individualized based on body weight and platelet count. Previous studies started with a fixed dose of 300 mg, and the NOVA trial results led to the individualization of the initial dose according to body weight and platelet count. Moreover, recently published data from the NORA trial confirmed that dose individualization is associated with improved hematologic toxicity[21].
Thrombocytopenia is a peculiar toxicity observed in niraparib treatment, and we showed that niraparib-induced thrombocytopenia occurs earlier than olaparib-induced anemia. Furthermore, there were three cases where platelet levels did not recover after treatment interruption, leading to the discontinuation of the drug. This finding suggests that niraparib-induced thrombocytopenia may be more robust than olaparib-induced anemia. Among patients who discontinued treatment due to adverse effects, 59% in the olaparib group and 100% in the niraparib group discontinued within the first 3 months of treatment. It was considered that thin patients with several previous regimens should be managed with particular attention to adverse effects early in the treatment. Furthermore, careful long-term management of adverse effects is crucial, especially when treated with olaparib.
While there have been many reports on the adverse effects of PARP inhibitor therapy[22] [23], no reports describing their predictability exist. This is the first study on the predictability of interruptions in PARP inhibitor therapy using blood collection data. However, the blood toxicity of both agents was difficult to predict using blood collection data. Generally, hematological adverse events associated with PARP inhibitors are frequent but transient, occurring during the first months of therapy, and are often resolved with dose reduction. We also observed hematological adverse events in the later treatment stages, especially in the olaparib group, and rare complications such as myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia[24]. Thus, regular blood tests should be conducted even after the initial months of treatment.
In conclusion, we examined the real-world data on the safety of olaparib and niraparib, as well as the predictability of intake interruption based on blood sampling data. Patient backgrounds and toxicity profiles differed between the olaparib and niraparib groups. However, predicting the blood toxicity of both agents using blood collection data was challenging. This study revealed the characteristics of the patients and the timing of interruption for each drug and highlighted the importance of carefully managing adverse effects, particularly during the early treatment stages.