title: Leuprolide acetate in the treatment of refractory or persistent epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: Leuprolide acetate (Lupron, TAP Pharmaceuticals, North Chicago), a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue, was administered subcutaneously at a 1-mg dose for a minimum of 8 weeks to 23 patients with refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. Eighteen of these patients were evaluable. There were no complete responses. Four patients (17%) had a partial response, with a median duration of 52 weeks. Three of six patients with grade 1 carcinomas had a partial response and two had stabilized disease. There was only one response among 15 patients with grade 2 or 3 disease. Therapy was well tolerated, with three patients complaining of hot flashes and two of mild pedal edema. Leuprolide acetate thus shows evidence of antitumor activity against refractory grade 1 epithelial adenocarcinoma of the ovary. Further trials with larger numbers of patients should be conducted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology and Gynecology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hewitt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016729:Leuprolide; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D016729:Leuprolide