Background
For women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (cancer that comes back or spreads to other parts of the body), treatment options are limited. Many women in this situation have already undergone chemotherapy, and there are fewer effective therapies available. Researchers have been searching for new targeted treatments that could help these women, especially those whose cancer has stopped responding to standard therapies.
What is Tisotumab Vedotin?
Tisotumab vedotin, a drug designed to target and destroy cancer cells. It combines an antibody (which targets cancer cells) with a chemotherapy drug (which kills the cancer once the antibody finds it). The goal is to deliver chemotherapy directly to the cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.
Mechanism of action of Tisotumab Vedotin
InnovaTV 301 Trial
The innova 301 trial, launched in 2019, studied tisotumab vedotin in women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer who had already received at least one round of chemotherapy. The trial involved 147 women who were given tisotumab vedotin to see how well it could shrink tumors and help control their cancer.
The main goal of the trial was to see how many women responded to the treatment (whether their tumors shrank or stopped growing) and how long the treatment could control their cancer.
Outcome
The results of the innova 301 trial, published in 2022, were promising for women who had few other treatment options. Here’s what the study found:
• Tumor Response: Around 32% of the women in the study saw their tumors shrink or stop growing, which was a good result considering their cancer had already progressed after previous treatments.
• Progression-Free Survival: Women had a longer period of about 4.2 months,before their cancer started to grow again.
• Overall Survival: The average overall survival was 12.8 months, meaning that on average, women lived about a year after starting tisotumab vedotin treatment.
For women with advanced cancer that had stopped responding to other treatments, these results were encouraging and provided a new treatment option. Ocular toxicity was most significant and common side effect of the treatment, causing mild to serious vision problems. Other common side effects of the treatment included nausea and peripheral neuropathy (or numbness).
Conclusion
The innova 301 trial showed that tisotumab vedotin could offer hope for women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, helping to shrink tumors and extend survival for some patients. While the response rates were modest, this drug offers a new option for those who have limited treatment choices.
This study is another example of how research can lead to new treatment possibilities, even for patients with tough-to-treat cancers. As doctors continue to study tisotumab vedotin, it may become an important option for more women with cervical cancer in the future.
References:
1. Tewari, K. S., Sill, M. W., Long, H. J., 3rd, Penson, R. T., Huang, H., Ramondetta, L. M., Landrum, L. M., Oaknin, A., Reid, T. J., Leitao, M. M., Michael, H. E., & Monk, B. J. (2014). Improved survival with bevacizumab in advanced cervical cancer. The New England journal of medicine, 370(8), 734–743. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1309748
2. Tewari, K. S., Sill, M. W., Penson, R. T., Huang, H., Ramondetta, L. M., Landrum, L. M., Oaknin, A., Reid, T. J., Leitao, M. M., Michael, H. E., DiSaia, P. J., Copeland, L. J., Creasman, W. T., Stehman, F. B., Brady, M. F., Burger, R. A., Thigpen, J. T., Birrer, M. J., Waggoner, S. E., Moore, D. H., … Monk, B. J. (2017). Bevacizumab for advanced cervical cancer: final overall survival and adverse event analysis of a randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial (Gynecologic Oncology Group 240). Lancet (London, England), 390(10103), 1654–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31607-0
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