Yesterday, the 26th NOGGO Update on Gynecologic Oncology took place, where important studies on ovarian cancer from ASCO 2025 were presented. We were there and would like to share the most important findings:

First-line therapy – surgery

The TRUST study clearly showed that the success of primary surgery (immediately after diagnosis) depends crucially on the location and quality of the surgical center. Patients who underwent surgery immediately had significantly longer progression-free survival compared to patients who underwent interval surgery (surgery after chemotherapy pre-treatment). There was also a numerical advantage in overall survival. The decisive factor for this was whether no tumor remnants (R0 result) remained at the end, regardless of the time of surgery. The choice of a good center for first-line treatment is therefore decisive for the further course of the disease!

First-line therapy – immunotherapy

The FIRST study investigated whether the addition of the immunotherapeutic agent dostarlimab to first-line chemotherapy provides an advantage. The results showed only a moderate effect: progression-free survival (the time without progression of the disease) was extended by a median of 1.5 months, while overall survival remained unchanged. In addition, no specific patient group could be identified that benefited particularly strongly.

Recurrence therapy – immunomodulation

The ROSELLA trial showed real progress for patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: the combination of relacorilant and the chemotherapeutic agent nab-paclitaxel significantly prolonged progression-free survival – and an interim analysis showed a clinically meaningful benefit in overall survival of around 4.5 months. The combination was well tolerated; no new safety signals emerged.

Conclusion for clinics and patients

Despite positive signals from TRUST and ROSELLA, the current guidelines remain unchanged. The importance of high-quality surgery has been further strengthened by the TRUST trial, while the ROSELLA trial is the first to show concrete progress in recurrence setting with the combination of relacorilant and chemotherapy. The addition of immunotherapy in the first line has so far only shown limited benefit.

The results provide an exciting outlook, but current guidelines continue to recommend established therapies. Further analysis and confirmation will be crucial to set new standards.