Long-Term Follow-Up of a Female Patient Treated with Olaparib—Hope for a Long Life without Relapse?

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers of the reproductive organs. As there are no symptoms in the early stages, it is mainly detected in the advanced stages. Even then, the symptoms are non-specific and include, for example, abdominal pain, early satiety, or changes in bowel habits. Both biochemical marker levels and imaging studies are used in the initial diagnosis. However, it should be emphasized that they are not characterized by high specificity. Treatment is multistage, and usually first-line debulking surgery is used followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. Here we present a clinical case of a 56-year-old female, a carrier of a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, with a history of breast cancer and with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. The patient was qualified for treatment with a PARP inhibitor and is currently undergoing treatment with olaparib. In the patient’s follow up of 50 months to date, there has been no recurrence of cancer. Few side effects have been observed, and the most serious one that can be effectively treated is anemia. On the basis of the described case, the authors concluded that olaparib treatment is effective, relatively safe, and does not significantly affect daily functioning.