Recruiting

Single-Arm, Prospective, Multicenter Study Evaluating Safety, Tolerability, and Metabolism of Niraparib as Maintenance following Front-Line Treatment for Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry

IRB# 20230316 IND# 169637 NCT06412120

About This Trial

This is a prospective, single-arm, multicenter, international clinical study of women of African ancestry designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of niraparib maintenance therapy following completion of primary treatment (surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy) for high-grade serous or high-grade endometrioid epithelial ovarian, fallopian-tube, and primary peritoneal carcinoma.

Why This Study Matters

Large-scale clinical studies investigating the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutics in ovarian cancer rarely include Black women or women of African ancestry. The sampled population in the landmark PRIMA study was only 1.6% Black, and the NOVA study was only 1.3% Black. This means the current evidence base for niraparib — a PARP inhibitor now widely used in ovarian cancer maintenance — was established almost entirely in women of European ancestry.

Black women with ovarian cancer have disproportionately worse responses to platinum-based chemotherapy, have been systematically undertested for germline and somatic mutations, and yet carry higher-than-expected rates (10–25%) of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Genetic analysis of tumors in women from the Caribbean islands of The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago revealed that 10–25% have genetic markers of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, compared to 5–10% in the general US population. There is a clear and urgent need to generate safety, efficacy, and pharmacogenomic data for this population.

Study Design

All eligible participants will receive single-agent oral niraparib once daily at a starting dose of 300 mg (modified to 200 mg daily if weight is below 77 kg or platelet count is below 150,000/μL). Treatment will continue for up to 24 months, or until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. Assessment of disease progression will be determined by RECIST v1.1.

Participation consists of three periods:

  • Screening Period (up to 30 days): Eligibility assessments, baseline blood work, genetic and ancestry samples.
  • Treatment Period (up to 24 months / 2 years): Monthly visits for safety monitoring, blood draws, pharmacokinetic samples, and quality-of-life questionnaires.
  • Follow-Up Period (up to 12 months / 1 year): Five follow-up visits to monitor long-term health after study treatment ends.

Primary Objective

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of maintenance niraparib treatment in women of African ancestry, specifically the proportion of women experiencing any Grade 3 or higher adverse event as measured by the NCI Common Terminology for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.

Secondary & Translational Objectives

Secondary endpoints include recurrence-free survival, CA-125 levels, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the FOSI-8 and FACT-GP5 instruments. Translational aims include pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenomic profiling of niraparib, assessment of germline and somatic HRD/HRP status, and measurement of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA).

Who Can Join

Women who self-identify as Black, African, and/or Afro-Caribbean with newly diagnosed Stage III or IV high-grade serous or endometrioid ovarian carcinoma who have completed primary treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) with a complete or partial response. Recruitment is open at five international sites: Miami, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Jacksonville, FL (USA); Nassau, The Bahamas (Site 105 — PeriomedCare Ltd); and Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Sample Size & Timeline

A total of 70 participants will be enrolled globally. Accrual is expected to be completed by 2027, with preliminary results presented in 2028.

Funding & Sponsorship

This study is sponsored by the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The Bahamas site (Site 105) is managed by PeriomedCare Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies — Nassau.

Trial Team

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Dr. Matthew Schlumbrecht, MD, MPH

Lead Principal Investigator (University of Miami / Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Dr. Matthew Schlumbrecht is the Corresponding Author and Lead Principal Investigator of this multicentre trial. He is a Gynecologic Oncologist at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His research focuses on equity in gynecologic cancer care, pharmacogenomics, and international clinical trials.

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Dr. Raleigh Butler

Principal Investigator — Site 105

Dr. Raleigh Butler is the Principal Investigator for Site 105 (Nassau, Bahamas) and a Gynaecologic Oncologist affiliated with the University of the West Indies — Nassau and PeriomedCare Ltd. He leads the clinical conduct of the trial at the Bahamas site and is responsible for participant safety, eligibility assessments, and protocol compliance.

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Dr. Darron Halliday

Sub-Investigator — Site 105

Dr. Darron Halliday is a Sub-Investigator and Gynaecologic Oncologist at PeriomedCare Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas. He holds Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification and is actively involved in participant care, study visits, and adverse event management at the Bahamas site.

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Dr. Saida Bowe

Sub-Investigator — Site 105

Dr. Saida Bowe is a Sub-Investigator and Gynaecologic Oncologist at PeriomedCare Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas. She holds GCP certification (valid through 2029) and contributes to participant evaluation, informed consent procedures, and clinical data collection at the Bahamas site.

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Dr. Justin Pintard

Sub-Investigator — Site 105

Dr. Justin Pintard is a Sub-Investigator and Gynaecologic Oncologist at PeriomedCare Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas. He supports the principal investigator in participant assessment and the day-to-day clinical activities of the trial at Site 105.

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Ms. Cicely Stuart

Study Pharmacist — Site 105

Ms. Cicely Stuart is the Study Pharmacist at Site 105, Nassau, Bahamas. She is responsible for niraparib dispensing, drug accountability, product management, and safe handling procedures in accordance with the site pharmacy SOP.

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Ms. Marva Jervis

Regulatory Consultant — Site 105

Ms. Marva Jervis serves as Regulatory Consultant for Site 105 at Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas. She provides regulatory support, liaison with the Public Hospital Authority Research Ethics Committee, and oversight of essential document management.

Publications

Niraparib in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer (PRIMA Trial)

New England Journal of Medicine · 2019

This landmark Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (PRIMA/ENGOT-OV26/GOG-3012) evaluated niraparib as first-line maintenance therapy in 728 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who had a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Niraparib demonstrated statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in both the homologous recombination deficient (HRD) subgroup (HR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.31–0.59; p<0.0001) and the overall population (HR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.50–0.76; p<0.0001). The PRIMA trial is the primary evidence base for the current study; however, 89% of PRIMA participants were White, providing the scientific rationale for the present investigation in women of African ancestry.
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Treatment with Niraparib Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer (PRIME Study)

JAMA Oncology · 2023

The PRIME study (NCT03709316) is a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in China evaluating individualized starting-dose niraparib as first-line maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer following platinum-based chemotherapy. Results published in JAMA Oncology in 2023 confirmed the benefit of niraparib maintenance in an Asian population. The PRIME study is one of the two reference trials (alongside PRIMA) for the dosing protocol used in the current study of women of African ancestry.
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Niraparib Maintenance Therapy in Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer (NOVA Trial)

Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2019

The NOVA trial (ENGOT-OV16) was a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating niraparib as maintenance therapy in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer following partial or complete response to platinum-based chemotherapy. This study established niraparib's efficacy across HRD and non-HRD populations and provided foundational safety data. The NOVA trial population was only 1.3% Black, underscoring the health equity gap that the current study in women of African ancestry seeks to address.
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