As September’s Ovarian/Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month gets underway, Verastem Oncology is making sure at least one day of the month is dedicated specifically to low-grade serous ovarian cancer, or LGSOC.
Verastem, which is currently in the midst of a rolling submission to the FDA for what could become the first approved treatment for LGSOC, announced Tuesday the creation of an annual LGSOC Awareness Day. Starting this year, Sept. 9 will be dedicated to educating the public about the rare form of ovarian cancer, with the company offering resources to people already diagnosed with the disease and advocating for further research.
“The inaugural LGSOC Awareness Day builds on the recognition of LGSOC as a distinct disease that is different from other ovarian cancers,” Dan Paterson, the company’s CEO, said in the announcement, adding, “At Verastem, we are committed to understanding LGSOC from both a disease and patient perspective.”
LGSOC is estimated to affect around 80,000 people globally, making up only about 2% to 5% of all cases of ovarian cancer. Not only does the disease skew toward a younger population than other forms of ovarian cancer—it’s most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 55, compared to 55-plus for ovarian cancer as a whole—but it also is highly recurrent, with approximately 80% of patients experiencing recurrence after remission, according to Verastem. The disease further has a high mortality rate, with a median survival of around 10 years.
Verastem created the awareness day in partnership with the STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation. A page on STAAR’s website offers social media templates to help get the word out, while Verastem’s “Let’s Talk About LGSOC” site features information about the disease’s symptoms, progression and available treatments.
Results of a recent survey conducted by Verastem suggest the awareness day is much needed: Of the nearly 200 LGSOC patients surveyed, 99% said they had no awareness of the disease before they were diagnosed.
There are currently no therapies approved specifically for LGSOC, leaving patients with limited options for treatment and chemotherapy as the standard of care, even though the disease is often resistant to chemotherapy.
Verastem is hoping to change that. This spring, the company kicked off a rolling new drug application submission to the FDA, in which it began sending in information about its ongoing RAMP 201 trial. The trial is studying the use of a combination of avutometinib, an RAF/MEK clamp, and defactinib, a selective FAK inhibitor, to treat adult patients with recurrent KRAS mutant LGSOC who have received at least one prior systemic therapy.
Early results from the study have shown “robust overall response rates (ORR) and durable responses with low discontinuation rates due to adverse events,” per Verastem.
According to the May announcement, Verastem began by submitting nonclinical and quality sections of the application to get the review process going. The company plans to turn over the clinical data in the second half of this year, with an FDA decision potentially expected in the first half of 2025.