Tag Archives: Results

New findings on the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer – results of the ROSELLA study

New findings on the treatment of platinum-resistant
ovarian cancer - Results of the ROSELLA study

At the end of January, the pharmaceutical company Corcept Therapeutics published a press release on the positive results of the ROSELLA study!

This study investigated whether the combination of the drug Relacorilant and the chemotherapy nab-paclitaxel can improve the survival of patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

What was the study about?

Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer means that the tumor has continued to grow despite platinum-based chemotherapy and only responds to a limited extent to standard therapies. Such patients often have a poor prognosis and only limited treatment options.

In the ROSELLA study, 381 patients worldwide were randomly divided into two groups:

  • One group received nab-paclitaxel alone (standard chemotherapy),
  • the other nab-Paclitaxel plus Relacorilant.

What did the study show?

1. lower risk of death
Patients who received Relacorilant in addition to chemotherapy had a 35% lower risk of death than those who received chemotherapy alone. This means that the new combination significantly prolonged overall survival.

2. longer survival time
On average, patients with Relacorilant lived for 16.0 months compared to 11.9 months with chemotherapy alone – i.e. around 4 months longer.

3. better progression-free survival
It has previously been shown that the combination also improves the time until the disease progresses – i.e. the period in which tumors do not grow any further.

4. well tolerated
Important: The combination was well tolerated and severe side effects did not occur more frequently than with chemotherapy alone. This means that Relacorilant brings its benefits without noticeably worsening safety for patients.

5. no biomarker restriction
In contrast to some other therapies, it was not necessary to select patients according to a specific tumor biomarker in this study – the benefits of the therapy were independent of certain tumor characteristics.

What does this mean for patients in Germany?

Promising new treatment option in sight
The results are particularly important because they show for the first time that an additional substance not only delays progression but also prolongs overall survival – without additional safety issues.

Regulatory submissions currently underway
– In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing Corcept’s application for approval of Relacorilant for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer; a result is expected by July 11, 2026.
– In Europe – including Germany – the application is also currently being evaluated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Until approval, it will not remain a standard in Germany
Until Relacorilant is officially approved, this combination is not yet part of the regular treatment guidelines in Germany. But the current data are an important step in this direction.

Source: Corcept press release (the article is in English)

New study data from ESMO 2025: Immunotherapy brings survival benefit in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer for the first time

New study data from ESMO 2025:
Immunotherapy brings survival benefit in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer for the first time

A press release on the initial results of the ENGOT-ov65/KEYNOTE-B96 trial was published in May 2025, and the latest promising results were presented at the ESMO Congress in Berlin at the weekend. This international phase III trial investigated whether the combination of pembrolizumab (an immune checkpoint inhibitor) and paclitaxel (a chemotherapeutic agent), with or without bevacizumab (an angiogenesis inhibitor), can prolong the survival of patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer .

The results show: Although the gain in progression-free survival (PFS), i.e. the time until the disease continues to grow, was rather small at around 2 months, this difference was clinically relevant. However, the significant advantage in overall survival (OS) is decisive: patients whose tumors were PD-L1-positive (a marker for response to immunotherapy) lived an average of 18.2 months compared to 14.0 months in the comparison group that only received chemotherapy.

This means that for the first time in this difficult disease, where previous therapies are often only effective in the short term, a real survival benefit has been shown with immunotherapy – and in a patient group that has not been pre-selected.

The safety profile of the combination therapy was also acceptable overall, although grade 3 or higher side effects occurred in around two thirds of patients. Particularly noteworthy: the survival benefit was independent of whether or not bevacizumab was also given.

Experts see these data as a potential turning point in the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Until now, the effectiveness of immunotherapies in this type of cancer has been limited. This could now change, especially for patients with PD-L1-positive tumors.

Nevertheless, experts such as Dr. Rebecca Kristeleit (London) emphasize that the results should be interpreted with caution. The clinical benefit must be weighed against possible side effects and costs. It also remains to be seen whether the combination will be approved in the future or can only be recommended for certain subgroups.

Finally, future combination therapies were also discussed in Berlin: so-called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) could be used together with immunotherapies in the future and thus offer further hope for patients with this difficult form of tumor.

Source: ESMO Congress Report (the article is in English)

Elahere (MIRV) keeps quality of life stable – new analysis of the MIRASOL study

Elahere (MIRV) keeps quality of life stable
- new analysis of the MIRASOL study

New results of the MIRASOL study were published in April 2025.

The study results showed that the drug mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx (trade name Elahere) prolonged the time to disease progression and overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer with high levels of the folic acid receptor α (FRα).

Focus on quality of life

The latest data from the study assess quality of life from the patient’s perspective (patient-reported outcomes).

This showed that Elahere can neither worsen nor clearly improve quality of life compared to conventional chemotherapy. There were slight indications of benefits, particularly for abdominal and digestive complaints: 21% of patients taking Elahere reported noticeable improvements – compared to 15% taking chemotherapy, although the difference was not entirely statistically certain. Nevertheless, in a follow-up analysis with other measurements, there were indications of actual improvements in up to 29% vs. 18%.

What does that mean in concrete terms?

  • No deterioration in quality of life: Women undergoing therapy with Elahere reported similar living conditions to those with standard therapy.

  • Symptoms remain stable: important everyday symptoms such as pain or appetite did not deteriorate.

  • Combination of efficacy and stability: Since Elahere has also been shown to prolong survival, it now offers a promising treatment option – without the additional burden of poor quality of life.

Why is this relevant?

  • Effective & well-tolerated treatment: Elahere not only postpones the disease, but also has no negative impact on patients’ everyday lives.

  • New option for a difficult-to-treat situation: There are only a few effective treatment options for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer – Elahere adds a solid option to this field.

Source: The Lancet Oncology (the article is in English)