title: Chemosensitizing effect of an antiestrogen, toremifene, on ovarian cancer.
abstract: The chemosensitizing effect of an antiestrogen, toremifene, was studied on 2 human ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro and on 3 fresh surgical ovarian tumor explants with the aid of the subrenal capsule assay (SRCA). Also, 11 patients with secondarily drug resistant, recurrent gynecologic cancer (8 ovarian and 3 uterine cancers) were treated with 240 mg toremifene daily for 1 week before each course of cytostatics. Toremifene potentiated the effect of doxorubicin on both cell lines. This was also the case on 1 cell line that was not completely resistant to doxorubicin. The SRCA showed a clear potentiating effect of toremifene only on the tumor overtly resistant to the combination of cisplatin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Of the 11 patients treated with toremifene and cytostatics, the response of 8 patients was evaluable: 3 had partial response, 3 no change, and 2 progressive disease. Toremifene seems to have a chemopotentiating effect on gynecologic drug-resistant tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Central Hospital of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mäenpää
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kangas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Karnani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grönroos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013370:Subrenal Capsule Assay; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017312:Toremifene; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D013629:Tamoxifen; D017312:Toremifene; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D002945:Cisplatin