Global Patient Survey Results Reveal Significant Negative Impact on Social, Emotional and Mental Well-Being for People Living with Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients with cancer, today announced new results from the first-ever global LGSOC Patient Impact Survey, developed with patient advocates and community medical leaders to better understand and address the complex needs and experiences of those living with low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). The results reveal a significant negative impact of LGSOC on respondents’ mental and physical health, worry and anxiety about cancer recurrence, side effects from treatment, and disruption to aspects of daily life such as relationships, family, work, and finances. These findings will be presented as a poster presentation at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, March 16-18 in San Diego, California.

Key findings showed that most of those surveyed (87%) reported being afraid to make long-term plans due to concerns about the possibility of a shorter lifespan, and 60% reported a negative impact of LGSOC on their plans to start a family or have more children. Findings also highlight burdensome treatment concerns, with 94% of respondents worried that their LGSOC would return despite treatment and 84% reporting that a treatment side effect has negatively impacted their emotional well-being. Other impacts that were noted by survey respondents include, negative effects on their mental health (73%), physical health (80%), overall quality of life (73%), finances (54%) and primary relationships (46%).

“For many people, a diagnosis of LGSOC brings a set of unique challenges. What is often not understood is that standard-of-care chemotherapies are minimally effective and often accompanied by severe side effects. Even if patients achieve remission, there is still a high risk of the disease recurring,” said Dr. David Gershenson, expert researcher in rare ovarian cancers, LGSOC Patient Impact Survey Advisory Committee member and senior study author. “These survey results reinforce what we’ve observed in clinical practice ― that this disease takes a high toll on mental health and quality of life and can disrupt relationships, family life and financial security. Our efforts must focus on identifying effective ways to help people cope with the worry, fear of recurrence and treatment-related side effects that they experience with LGSOC, alongside our work to develop treatments for this rare and challenging cancer.”