Report Back from SGO: What’s New in Ovarian Cancer Research?

Are you curious about what’s new in ovarian cancer research? We invite you to join Dr. Premal Thaker, Distinguished Professor and interim Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Siteman Cancer Center, to hear the latest updates from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting. Dr. Thaker will highlight what the research presented at the conference means for you and answer your questions about the new developments.

1. Report Back from SGO: What’s New in Ovarian Cancer Research? ​ Premal H Thaker, MD David & Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology Chief of Gynecologic Oncology, Interim Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research Professor in Gynecologic Oncology

2. Institutional Research Grant: Merck and Glaxo Smith Kline Consultant: Imunon, AstraZeneca, Glaxo Smith Kline, Merck, Abbvie, Iovance, Pfizer, Immunogen, Verastem, Mural Oncology, Corcept, Zentalis, BioNTech, Caris Data Safety Monitoring Board Member: Imunon, Iovance Stocks: Imunon Conflicts of Interest

3. Ovarian Cancer Standard therapy: surgery vs neoadjuvant chemotherapy +/-bevacizumab PARP inhibitors as maintenance for patients with HRD or BRCA New cases Siegel RL, CA Cancer J Clin . 2025;75:10–45.

4. Risk Factors

5. Prevention/Risk Reduction

6. Tubal Origin of High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinoma (STIC) Kurman et al. Hum Path ,2011

7. What is genetic testing? A process in which DNA from blood or saliva can be tested to help determine if you or your family members are at very high risk of ovarian and other cancers. Why should you consider genetic testing and counseling? Up to 25% of ovarian cancers are hereditary. Knowing if you have ovarian cancer genetic markers can allow you to take preventive options to lower your risk. Genetic Testing

8. Background Slides courtesy of T. Gootzen, SGO 2025

9. Background Slides courtesy of T. Gootzen, SGO 2025

10. TUBA-WISPII Slides courtesy of T. Gootzen, SGO 2025

11. Results Slides courtesy of T. Gootzen, SGO 2025 No interval carcinomas have occurred. Finishing enrollment in 2027 First expected results in 2037

12. Updates on Maintenance Therapy

13. Key FDA Drug Approvals in EOC

14. Maintenance Options Parp inhibitors: Olaparib Niraparib Rucaparib Olaparib and bevacizumab VEGF inhibitors Bevacizumab

15. Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Inhibitors

16. Maintenance Options

17. Complexity of the Immune System Bruni D et al Nat Reve Cancer 2020

18. Pembrolizumab

19. ENGOT-OV43/GOG-3036/KEYLYNK-OO1 Study Design (NCT03740165)

20. Study Endpoints Powell M, et al. SGO 2025

21. Progression-Free Survival P-O vs C, Total ITT population

22. Progression-Free Survival P vs C at FA

23. Summary of Overall Survival and Post-Progression Therapy at FA Vergote I, ESGO 2025

24. Treatment-Related Adverse Events- Incidence > 20% in Either Arm Vergote et al., ESGO 2025; Powell et al., SGO 2025

25. Immune-Mediated Adverse Events and Infusion Reactions, Incidence > 10 participants in any group

26. Summary Powell M, et al. SGO 2025

27. Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer

28. Cyclin E1 and CCNE1 Biology Cyclin E1 protein overexpression results in cells moving prematurely from G1 to S, thereby increasing reliance on the G2-M checkpoint to allow DNA repair. WEE1 is a master regulator of the cell cycle acting as a brake at G1-S and G2-M to allow DNA repair Targeting WEE 1 with azenosertib ultimately leads to mitotic catastrophe

29. DENALI (GOG-3066): Phase 2, Open-Label Multicenter Study of Azenosertib in PROC

30. Cyclin E1+ by IHC is Biomarker Predicting Response to Azenosertib Simpkins F, et al. SGO 2025

31. Lack of effective therapies for Cyclin E1+/ CCNE1 amplified HGSOC. Azenosertib demonstrates ORR of approximately 35% in response-evaluable patients with Cyclin E1+ HGSOC Median DOR is 6.3 months in Cyclin E1+HGSOC TRAEs: hematological, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, fatigue Expanding to a phase II/III trial with different dosing strategies. Conclusions

32. Folate Receptor alpha (FRα) FRα is anchored to cell membranes through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol moiety and transports folates via an endocytic process Folate is needed in rapidly proliferating cells for the one-carbon metabolic reaction and DNA biosynthesis, repair, and methylation FRα exhibits limited normal tissue distribution, with measurable expression restricted to the apical surfaces of a few epithelia cells (lung and kidneys), but FRα is overexpressed in tumors Cheung A, Bax HJ, Josephs DH, et al. Targeting folate receptor alpha for cancer treatment.  Oncotarget . 2016;7(32):52553-52574. Metabolism of Nucleotides Folate Cycle Folate FR α

33. Mirvetuximab Soravtansine Accelerated approval 11/2022; Traditional FDA approval 3/2024 Platinum resistant ovarian cancer FOLR1 75% by IHC Folate-receptor antibody- cleavable linker- Maytansinoid DM4 MOA: blocks tubulin polymerization (similar to vinca alkaloids- 100 higher)  

34. Mirasol/GOG 3045/ENGOT-ov55 (NCT04209855)

35. Final Overall Survival Van Gorp T, et al, SGO 2025

36. Explosion of ADCs Dumontet et al. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2023;22(8):641-661.

37. Key Take-Aways Genetic testing is critical for ovarian cancer patients. New options for risk reducing surgery for patients with increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Immunotherapy with upfront chemotherapy has limited benefit. Lots of novel antibody drug conjugates in development in ovarian cancer.