Higher Doses Of Chemotherapy Increase Remission Time And Toxicity.(for patients with advanced ovarian cancer)

2001 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- While a regimen of moderately high-dose systemic chemotherapy followed by additional chemotherapy placed in the abdomen produces longer remissions in women with advanced ovarian cancer, the strategy is too toxic and does not significantly prolong overall survival, a new study shows.

Researchers said until the experimental regimen is perfected, standard dose chemotherapy should be used.

"We are encouraged because there was evidence that it took longer for the cancer to come back in patients using the experimental treatment," said study leader Maurie Markman, MD, director of the Taussig Cancer Center at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. "But toxicity, at this point, is too great to recommend this regimen."

In a Phase III, randomized clinical trial, researchers tested the concept of first shrinking ovarian tumors as much as possible by using two cycles of moderately high-dose carboplatin chemotherapy intravenously, then eliminating the remaining cancer with two other agents: six courses of intravenous paclitaxel and cisplatin delivered directly into the abdomen through a catheter. Half of 462 patients received this experimental regimen, and half received six courses of intravenous ...