Ovarian cancer is one of the most serious gynecological cancers and is often only diagnosed at an advanced stage. Despite considerable progress in surgical and systemic therapy, the risk of disease recurrence remains high. In recent years, PARP inhibitors have opened up new therapeutic options and significantly improved the chances of survival for many patients - particularly in genetically defined subgroups. Nevertheless, there are many unanswered questions regarding the optimal sequence and reuse of these therapies, their efficacy in platinum-resistant courses and alternatives for patients without platinum sensitivity. Rare tumor forms such as granulosa cell tumors have also hardly been systematically investigated to date, although endocrine therapies appear promising here. In order to close these knowledge gaps, the BZKF centers are pooling their expertise in a joint research program. The aim is to combine clinical experience from care with molecular analyses and develop new, individualized treatment strategies.

Study objectives:

With the currently recruiting BZKF-OVAR 1 study, the study group would like to investigate real-world dataon the significance of renewed PARP inhibitor therapy in relapse. In addition to response rates and quality of life, the aim is to identify possible biomarkers that can predict treatment success.

In addition, the BZKF study group is currently planning two studies that will address important unanswered questions regarding the treatment of malignant ovarian tumors. One of the studies will focus on patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The aim is to use real-world data from all Bavarian BZKF centers to investigate the efficacy of various non-platinum-based therapies and to evaluate the influence of previous PARP inhibitor treatments. The planned linkage with molecular tumor board data is also intended to identify new biomarkers and predictive factors to better support future treatment decisions. Another project is dedicated to the rare granulosa cell tumor of the ovary, for which only limited experience with endocrine therapies is available to date. In a so-called "window-of-opportunity" approach, hormonal treatment is to be tested before surgery in order to evaluate its efficacy and safety. In parallel, biomarker-based analyses of tumour and blood samples are planned, which could provide new insights into the biology of these tumors.
The projects are an expression of the close cooperation between the BZKF centers and are intended to contribute to the further development of evidence-based, personalized treatment strategies for patients with rare and therapy-resistant forms of ovarian tumors.

To the study register