PARP inhibitors in breast cancer: a short communication

Purpose of review: In the last decade, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have been approved in the treatment of several cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer. This article aims to discuss the current uses, limitations, and future directions for PARP inhibitors (PARPis) in the treatment of breast cancer.

Recent findings: Following the results of the OlympiAD and EMBRACA trials, PARPis were approved in HER2-negative breast cancer with a germline BRCA mutation. We reviewed this class of drugs' mechanism of action, efficacy, and limitations, as well as further studies that discussed resistance, impaired homologous recombination repair (HRR), and the combination of PARPis with other drugs. Improving understanding of HRR, increasing the ability to target resistance, and combining PARPis with other novel agents are continuing to increase the clinical utility of PARPis.