Prescribers and patients drive maintenance therapy patterns in a community oncology practice: National guidelines versus the real-world experience

Previous studies have shown that first-line (1L) maintenance therapy (MT) with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors and/or bevacizumab improves outcomes among patients with advanced ovarian cancer (OC); however, these treatments are underutilized. This study aimed to provide a real-world understanding of MTs among patients with advanced OC who received 1L platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC). A retrospective chart review using iKnowMed electronic health records to identify patients aged ≥18 years with advanced OC who initiated 1L PBC between January 1, 2018–December 31, 2020. Following 1L PBC, patients could have received MT or active surveillance (AS). Kaplan–Meier methods were used to estimate time to treatment discontinuation (TTD), real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS), and overall survival (OS). Of the 600 chart-reviewed patients included, 239 (39.8 %) received MT and 315 (52.5 %) received AS. Patients who were <65 years of age, or those with higher-stage disease or those who had received neoadjuvant treatment, were more likely to initiate MT than AS. Genetic testing rates were low across both cohorts. Median (95 % confidence interval CI) TTD for the MT cohort was 13.6 months (11.0, 21.2). Median (95 % CI) rwPFS was 26.9 months (21.3, not reached) and 11.3 months (9.5, 13.0) for the 1L MT and AS cohorts, respectively (p < 0.0001). OS at 36 months was 82.4 % in the 1L MT cohort and 58.0 % in the 1L AS cohort. This study reinforces clinical trial findings that 1L MT improves outcomes in patients with advanced OC; however, genetic testing rates and 1L MT remained low.