Weekly paclitaxel in the treatment of recurrent ovarian carcinoma

Purpose: To study the effect of weekly paclitaxel in the treatment of recurrent ovarian and peritoneal carcinoma.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients treated at Christie Cancer Centre between May 2003 and May 2005 was carried out.

Results: Fortynine patients with recurrent ovarian and peritoneal carcinoma were treated. The mean duration of treatment was 11 weeks, with 27 (54%) patients receiving 12 or more treatments. The most frequent non-haematological toxicities reported were mild nausea, constipation, lethargy and neuropathy. Moderate anaemia was noted in 50% of patients. Radiological assessment by CT scanning showed that complete or partial responses were achieved in 28% of patients. CA125 response was demonstrated in 63% of patients. Median time to recurrence was 149 days and median survival was 359 days.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the role of weekly paclitaxel in the treatment of recurrent ovarian and peritoneal carcinoma even in a drug-resistant setting following multiple lines of prior therapy.

Paclitaxel; Recurrent ovarian carcinoma; Recurrent peritoneal carcinoma

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