OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this real-world study were to understand physicians’ decision-making on treatment choice, thoughts on unmet need and the potential for a cure in advanced ovarian cancer (aOC). Additionally, prescribing practices for niraparib, an approved maintenance treatment in aOC, were examined.

METHODS: The 2023 Adelphi Real-World OC II DSP™ is a cross-sectional survey of physicians treating aOC. Participating countries include Canada, the United States, and France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom (EU4). Data collection is ongoing, with interim results reported for 140 physicians. All analyses were descriptive.

RESULTS: In the first-line maintenance (1LM) setting, the most important quoted driver of treatment choice was overall survival (OS) for 34% of physicians, followed by rapid onset of action (21%). Physicians believed that the treatment settings with the greatest unmet need were third-line maintenance (19%), third-line treatment (13%), 1L neoadjuvant therapy (11%), and second-line maintenance (11%). Most physicians (88%) highlighted that a future cure for aOC was possible at 1L treatment and believed that patients could be considered cured after a median OS of 5 years (interquartile range, 5.0, 6.0).

Of physicians who reported treating patients with niraparib (n=130), 67% stated a preference for its use in1LM therapy. When asked their reason for prescribing niraparib, 68% selected ‘clinical data indicate it is the most suitable treatment’. For physicians who reported not using niraparib in their caseload (n=10), 6 reported preferring to use other treatment, 4 reported a lack of research into niraparib treatment, and 3 reported always using the same treatment sequence as their preferred prescribing pattern.

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment decisions are guided by clinical data, with OS being the most important influence, but drivers also include treatment guidelines and prior experience. In addition to late-line settings, 1L neoadjuvant treatment is an area that physicians believe has a large unmet need.