Relacorilant and nab-paclitaxel in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (ROSELLA): an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Relacorilant, a first-in-class selective glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, increases a tumour's sensitivity to chemotherapy by reducing cortisol signalling. This study aimed to show whether the addition of relacorilant to nab-paclitaxel improves progression-free and overall survival in females with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

METHODS: This randomised, controlled, open-label phase 3 trial (ROSELLA [GOG-3073/ENGOT-ov72]) was done at 117 hospitals and community oncology treatment centres in 14 countries across Australia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and South Korea. Patients had to be aged 18 years or older and had to have a confirmed diagnosis of platinum-resistant, epithelial (ie, high-grade serous, endometrioid, or carcinosarcoma with a ≥30% epithelial component) ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer; up to three previous lines of anticancer therapy and previous bevacizumab and disease progression or intolerance to the most recent therapy; measurable disease according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST; version 1.1); an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1; and adequate organ function. Patients were assigned (1:1) to relacorilant (150 mg orally the day before, of, and after nab-paclitaxel infusion) plus nab-paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle) or nab-paclitaxel monotherapy (100 mg/m2 intravenously on the aforementioned schedule). The dual primary endpoints were progression-free survival assessed by blinded independent central review per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (version 1.1) and overall survival, and were assessed in all randomly assigned patients by intention to treat. The safety population included all randomly assigned patients who received at least one dose of the assigned treatment. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05257408, and is ongoing.

FINDINGS: Between Jan 5, 2023, and April 8, 2024, 381 patients were randomly assigned to the combination group (n=188) or to the nab-paclitaxel monotherapy group (n=193). Patients receiving relacorilant plus nab-paclitaxel had a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival assessed by blinded independent central review compared with those receiving nab-paclitaxel monotherapy (hazard ratio 0·70 [95% CI 0·54-0·91]; median 6·54 months [95% CI 5·55-7·43] vs 5·52 months [3·94-5·88]; stratified log-rank p=0·0076). At the planned interim analysis, there was a clinically meaningful difference in overall survival with the addition of relacorilant to nab-paclitaxel (0·69 [95% CI 0·52-0·92]; 15·97 months [95% CI 13·47-not reached] vs 11·50 months [10·02-13·57]; log-rank p=0·0121). Adverse events were similar across study groups when adjusted for nab-paclitaxel exposure; no new safety signals were observed.

INTERPRETATION: The addition of relacorilant to nab-paclitaxel prolonged progression-free survival and interim results also showed an improvement in overall survival. Together, the results position the combination of relacorilant and nab-paclitaxel as a potential new standard treatment for patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

FUNDING: Corcept Therapeutics.