TREATMENT OF OVARIAN-CANCER - PHASE-II TRIAL OF HIGH-DOSE CISPLATIN

Between March 1985 and December 1987, 34 women who had advanced adenocarcinoma of the ovary with macroscopic residual disease entered in a phase II trial of chemotherapy. Treatment consisted of a 3-month induction with monthly ifosfamide combined with 5-fluorouracil and high-dose cisplatin, and a maintenance treatment with ifosfamide, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin and hexamethylmelamine in monthly cycles. At the end of the treatment patients with complete remission were evaluated by surgery. Neurotoxicity was a limiting factor, and treatment had to be prematurely withdrawn in 10 patients. The above treatment was found to be effective with a 94 percent objective response rate, a 54-month median survival and a 51 -month median relape-free survival. Because of the neurotoxicity, a shorter therapy and the use of neuroprotective agents may be envisaged.