Clinically Relevant Response to Treatment with Olaparib in a Patient with Refractory Multidrug-Resistant Ovarian Cancer and Central Nervous System Involvement: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) continues to be highly lethal. Undoubtedly, the introduction of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors such as olaparib will alter this clinical picture. Phase III studies have already documented clinically relevant outcomes, particularly among patients with BRCA mutations and homologous recombination deficiency. CASE REPORT Here we present a case report that documents the evolution of refractory multidrug-resistant, BRCA1-mutated EOC in a patient who had advanced clinical deterioration, carcinomatosis, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement that responded favorably to olaparib, resulting in a tripling of her progression-free survival. CONCLUSIONS Olaparib proved to be a safe and effective option for the treatment of a patient with multidrug-resistant, BRCA1-mutated EOC with CNS metastases. This suggests that early initiation of the drug in similar cases can be very useful.