Is BRCA mutational status a predictor of platinum-based chemotherapy related hematologic toxicity in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate hematologic adverse effect profiles associated with frontline platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients according to BRCA 1/2 mutational status. METHODS :Patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer and a known BRCA mutational status who received in frontline 6 cycles of Carboplatin (AUC 5) plus Paclitaxel 175 mg/mq were retrospectively selected from our databases. Hematologic toxicity profiles of BRCA mutated patients were compared to non-mutated patients, according to EORTC Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE_4.02). RESULTS: Totally, 176 women of whom 58 (33%) were BRCA1/2 mutation carriers - 40 BRCA1 (69%) and 18 (31%) BRCA2 mutations carriers - and 118 (67%) non-carriers were identified. A significant higher frequency of thrombocytopenia (24% vs 5%; p < 0.001), anemia (21% vs 7%; p = 0.006) and neutropenia (62% vs 27%; p ≤0.001) was observed in BRCA mutated patients, resulting in a higher percentage of granulocyte-colony stimulating growth factors injection (12% versus 1%, p < 0.001) and dose delay (19% versus 27%, p = 0.005). The multivariate analysis confirmed that granulocyte-colony stimulating growth factors injection and dose delay were statistically significantly more frequent in BRCA mutated patients (OR 2.567, 95% CI 1.136-5.798, p = 0.035; OR 3.860, 95% CI 1.098-13.570, p = 0.023). Finally, the total number of hematologic adverse events compared between the two groups of patients during the entire treatment period showed a substantial higher rate of hematologic adverse events in BRCA mutated population. CONCLUSIONS: Germline BRCA 1/2 mutations are associated with a higher hematologic toxicity in patients with ovarian cancer who underwent platinum-based chemotherapy.