OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacology, safety, efficacy, and the role of 
rucaparib in the treatment of relapsed, advanced ovarian cancer.
SUMMARY: A total of 2 phase I/II trials and 1 phase II trial have evaluated the 
safety and efficacy of oral rucaparib in ovarian cancer. In patients with 
deleterious BRCA1/2 mutation, an overall response rate of 80% was achieved in 
the phase II trial Assessment of Rucaparib in Ovarian CancEr Trial 2 (ARIEL2). 
In the same trial, progression-free survival was higher in patients with BRCA1/2 
mutation and BRCA wild types with high loss of heterozygosity (LOH) than BRCA 
wild types with low LOH. Rucaparib was found to be relatively well tolerated in 
clinical trials, with the most common adverse events being anemia, fatigue, and 
nausea.
CONCLUSION: Rucaparib appears to be a safe and effective new option in the 
treatment of relapsed, advanced BRCA1/2 mutant ovarian cancer. The role of 
rucaparib in this setting will likely expand and be further elucidated as 
results from several ongoing studies become available.