The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2007;9:4:265-269
doi: 10.1576/toag.9.4.265.27357
Copyright © 2007 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Current practice and new developments in ovarian cancer chemotherapy
S Nasim Ali, MRCPI, Consultant Medical Oncologist1 and
Jonathan A Ledermann, BSc MD FRCP, Professor of Medical Oncology and Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist2
1. Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, Clatterbridge Road, Wirral CH63 4JY, UK
2. Department of Oncology, UCL Cancer Trials Centre, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TJ, UK Email: j.ledermann{at}ctc.ucl.ac.uk (corresponding author)
Key content:
- A combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel is the most commonly used treatment for advanced ovarian cancer, a chemosensitive disease with a high recurrence rate.
- Molecular targeted agents are being investigated as a novel strategy to improve the outcome of systemic therapy.
Learning objectives:
- To study the optimum timing of chemotherapy in relation to surgery and the role of intraperitoneal therapy.
- To be aware of current chemotherapy regimens used in the management of newly diagnosed and relapsed ovarian cancer and the rationale for using them.
- To understand current areas of research using novel agents in systemic therapy and different treatment strategies.
Ethical issues:
- It is important to consider the balance between benefit and side effects of treatment for women with relapsed disease.
- Patient choice is an important consideration for the selection of chemotherapy for relapsed ovarian cancer.
- Current treatment produces only a modest gain in outcome, therefore, every effort should be made to recruit women to clinical trials.
Please cite this article as: Ali SN, Ledermann JA. Current practice and new developments in ovarian cancer chemotherapy. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2007;9:265–269.
Keywords chemotherapy / intraperitoneal chemotherapy / ovarian cancer / platinum agents / taxanes
Copyright © 2007 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
