A pan-tumor review of the role of poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase inhibitors

Chadi Hage Chehade; Georges Gebrael; Nicolas Sayegh; Zeynep Irem Ozay; Arshit Narang; Tony Crispino; Talia Golan; Jennifer K Litton; Umang Swami; Kathleen N Moore; Neeraj Agarwal

doi:10.3322/caac.21870

A pan-tumor review of the role of poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase inhibitors

CA Cancer J Clin. 2025 Jan 10. doi: 10.3322/caac.21870. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
² Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
³ UsTOO Prostate Cancer Support and Education Las Vegas Chapter, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
⁴ Division of Medical Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv Medical University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
⁵ Division of Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
⁶ Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.

PMID: 39791278
DOI: 10.3322/caac.21870

Abstract

Poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, such as olaparib, talazoparib, rucaparib, and niraparib, comprise a therapeutic class that targets PARP proteins involved in DNA repair. Cancer cells with homologous recombination repair defects, particularly BRCA alterations, display enhanced sensitivity to these agents because of synthetic lethality induced by PARP inhibitors. These agents have significantly improved survival outcomes across various malignancies, initially gaining regulatory approval in ovarian cancer and subsequently in breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers in different indications. This review offers a comprehensive clinical overview of PARP inhibitor approvals, emphasizing their efficacy across different cancers based on landmark phase 3 clinical trials.

Keywords: breast cancer; ovarian cancer; pancreatic cancer; poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase inhibitors; prostate cancer.

Publication types

Review