PARP inhibitors may be used to treat which cancer stages?

• A. Stage I-III
• B. Stage II-IV
• C. Stage I only
• D. Stage III-V

Answer: (B)

PARP inhibitors work best in cancers with defects in DNA repair, such as BRCA1/2-mutant or homologous recombination–deficient tumors. They are used as targeted therapy in advanced disease or as maintenance after platinum-based chemotherapy, particularly in ovarian cancer. In this setting, the typical scenario is Stage II through Stage IV, where the disease burden is high and ongoing systemic control is needed after a platinum response. They are not standard for early-stage disease treated primarily with surgery and adjuvant chemo, and Stage V isn’t a defined, standard category in this context. So Stage II through Stage IV best captures the situations where PARP inhibitors are commonly used.