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Australia; International; VIC
News release
From:
The Lancet: Two potential new treatments for ovarian cancer
Two separate phase 3 trials published in The Lancet highlight two potential new treatments for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer occurs when the cancer progresses within six months of platinum-based chemotherapy. Most patients with advanced ovarian cancer eventually develop platinum-resistant ovarian cancer; treatment options are limited and on average patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer only live for around one year after diagnosis.
In the ROSELLA trial, 381 platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients received either usual treatment or relacorilant – a pill currently used to treat Cushing's syndrome – plus usual treatment. After an average of two years follow up, there was a 35% lower risk of death for those in the relacorilant group compared to usual care, and on average patients receiving relacorilant lived for four months longer than patients in the control group (16 months and 11.9 months respectively).
In the ENGOT-ov65/KEYNOTE-B96 trial, 643 patients received either usual treatment or pembrolizumab – a monoclonal antibody used as a treatment for many other cancers - and usual treatment for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. After a follow up of two years and eight months, there was a 18% lower risk of death for those receiving pembrolizumab compared to the control group, and on average patients in the pembrolizumab group lived for 17.7 months, 3.7 months longer than the average of 14 months for the control group.
In early 2026, the FDA approved both medications for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer [1,2]. Authors say the evidence supports considering relacorilant and pembrolizumab as effective separate new treatment options for patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
