Oregovomab: an investigational agent for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer

Introduction: Ovarian cancer (OC) represents the leading cause of death among gynecological cancers. Despite novel compound classes like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors or poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are available, which improve significantly efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy, OC prognosis remains poor and innovative strategies are needed. The induction of tumor specific immune response with a therapeutic intent is a very challenging approach. Oregovomab is a murine monoclonal antibody direct to the tumor-associated antigen CA125 that stimulate a host cytotoxic immune response against tumor cells expressing CA125. Areas covered: This paper reviews the preclinical and clinical published data underlying the use of oregovomab in advanced OC. A literature search was performed in PubMed for oregovomab, ovarian cancer, anti-CA125, and on ClinicalTrials.gov for currently ongoing trials. Expert opinion: Oregovomab demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free and overall survival in advanced OC treatment when administered simultaneously with first-line chemotherapy. This promising schedule is currently investigated in a phase III trial. Since oral treatments as PARP-inhibitors have recently been approved in the OC first-line setting, the possible role of oregovomab needs still to be defined, also considering the intravenous route of administration. The easy to manage toxicity profile makes oregovomab an ideal candidate for association strategies.