Evidence for the efficacy of Iniparib, a PARP-1 inhibitor, in BRCA2-associated pancreatic cancer.

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive, frequently fatal malignancy that strikes 37,000 patients annually in the U.S.A. It is poorly responsive to standard chemotherapies such as gemcitabine. Approximately 5-10% of pancreatic cancer occurs in the setting of a BRCA2 mutation. Breast and ovarian carcinomas that harbor BRCA2 mutations are susceptible to the effects of an emerging class of targeted agents, namely, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. This report describes the case of a patient with a germline BRCA2 mutation and an associated pancreatic cancer treated with iniparib (BSI-201), a PARP inhibitor, who demonstrated a complete pathologic response to this agent. This case highlights the potential benefit for PARP inhibition in BRCA2-related pancreatic cancer.