Unique chemotherapy formulation prolongs ovarian cancer survivalSource: Gynecologic Oncology 2004; 95: 1-8
A phase III study compares long-term survival with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin versus topotecan in recurrent ovarian cancer.
The results of a long-term follow-up study demonstrate that a unique formulation of doxorubicin can significantly prolong survival, compared with topotecan, in patients with recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer.
The new formulation, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, has been carefully designed: pegylation protects the liposomes from detection and breakdown by the reticuloendothelial system and increases plasma half life, and the liposome size allows extravasation through leaky vascular, targeting the drug to the tumor site.
In a phase III study, Alan Gordon (Arizona Gynecologic Oncology, Phoenix, USA) and colleagues randomly assigned 474 women with epithelial ovarian cancer that recurred or failed to respond to platinum-based chemotherapy to receive 50 mg/m2 pegylated liposomal doxorubicin every 28 days or 1.5 mg/m2 per day topotecan for 5 days every 21 days.
Overall, treatment with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin was associated with an 18 percent reduction in the risk of death, compared with topotecan therapy. Further analysis showed that the survival benefit was pronounced in the platinum-sensitive patients, but was not significant in their platinum-refractory counterparts.
"The results of this analysis, as well as the ease of administration and adverse event profile, suggest that pegylated liposomal doxorubicin is the treatment of choice among non-platinum agents for patients with relapsed ovarian cancer, especially those with platinum-sensitive disease," concludes the team.
Posted: 1 November 2004
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