A phase II study of sequential carboplatin, paclitaxel and topotecan in patients with previously untreated advanced ovarian cancer

We evaluated the sequential use of carboplatin, paclitaxel and topotecan in patients with advanced, previously untreated ovarian cancer. In total, 43 patients with advanced ovarian cancer and >1 cm residual disease were treated with sequential carboplatin (area-under-the-curve (AUC) 5 days 1 and 22), paclitaxel (175 mg m−2 days 43 and 64) and topotecan (1.5 mg m−2 daily for 5 days from days 85, 106, 127 and 148). Median age of patients was 61 years. Median follow-up was 22.2 months (range 0.76–50.6 months). In all, 34 (79%) patients received all eight cycles of treatment and nine (21%) withdrew. Of the 29 evaluable patients, 19 (66%) responded according to WHO and 30 of 36 (83%) patients according to CA125. The best overall response (CA125 and/or WHO) was 77% (33 of 43 patients). The response rates to sequential drugs based on >50% fall in CA125 were as follows: carboplatin, 77% (30 of 39 patients); paclitaxel, 65% (15 of 23 patients); topotecan, 38% (five of 13 patients). Two patients responded to paclitaxel and one to topotecan after failure to respond to preceding chemotherapy. Median survival and time to progression was 22.24 and 10.61 months, respectively. This study demonstrates that sequential chemotherapy with just two initial courses of carboplatin is a reasonable way to introduce new agents into first-line therapy for poor prognostic ovarian cancer patients.