Weekly paclitaxel/5-fluorouracil followed by platinum retreatment for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer: a single institution experience

Purpose: Since the prognosis of recurrent ovarian cancer patients is still poor, we need to establish a useful treatment strategy to achieve their long-term survival. We treated recurrent ovarian cancer patients with weekly paclitaxel (PTX)/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) followed by platinum retreatment to investigate its clinical efficacy in a preliminary manner. Methods: Sixteen patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. pretreated with taxane and platinum, were treated with weekly paclitaxel (PTX)/5-fluorouracil (FU). PTX (80 mg/m(2)) on day 1, 8, and 15 was combined with a bolus injection of 5-FU (500 mg/m(2)) on day 2, 9, and 16. Chemotherapy was given every four weeks. Patients with stable disease or progressive disease Were subsequently retreated with a platinum-containing regimen, Response was evaluated by RECIST criteria or CA 1225 criteria. Toxicities were evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute-common toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) version 3. Results: Among live patients with sensitive disease, one Of four patients with measurable turner and one without measurable tumor responded to weekly PTX/5-FU. Among 11 patients with resistant disease. none of five patients with measurable tumor and three of six patients without measurable tumor responded to weekly PTX/5-FU, Overall objective response rate by weekly PTX/5-FU was 31.3% (5/16). Among 16 patients, 13 patients who showed no response or progressive disease (three with sensitive disease, ten with resistant disease) received platinum retreatment after weekly PTX/5FU. All three patients with sensitive disease and three of ten patients with resistant disease revealed response to platinum retreatment. Overall objective response rate by platinum retreatment after weekly PTX/5-FU was 46.2% (6/13). Conclusions: Weekly PTX/5FU followed by platinum retreatment Could be a useful treatment strategy for recurrent ovarian cancer patients. We need to establish the standard treatment strategy for recurrent ovarian cancer patients with a poor prognosis.

Paclitaxel; 5-fluorouracil; Recurrent disease; Platinum-free interval; Ovarian cancer

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