High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer--initial experience in Uppsala and Turku.
BACKGROUND
With current standard-dose chemotherapy ovarian cancer is a chemosensitive but not chemocurable disease in the majority of cases. The widely used first-line chemotherapy including a platinum analogue combined with cyclophosphamide results in response rates of 60-80%. However, only 10-20% of patients with advanced disease are alive 5 years after the diagnosis. The efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is currently under intensive investigation.


METHODS
We report here our initial experiences of the use of high-dose chemotherapy supported by ASCT for patients with high-risk ovarian cancer. Two patients were treated at Uppsala University Hospital in 1992 and four patients at Turku University Central Hospital in 1994.


RESULTS
The first four patients treated either after heavy previous chemotherapy or recurrent disease relapsed within 5-10 months. Two patients received high-dose therapy as part of first-line treatment. One of them had a relapse 18 months after therapy, the other one has been disease free for 28 months. No toxic deaths occurred, but the patients had neutropenic febrile episodes and moderate to severe gastrointestinal toxicity.


CONCLUSIONS
Coordinated efforts in Nordic countries are indicated to evaluate the usefulness of high-dose therapy supported by ASCT in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.
Grenman
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland.
Tholander
B
B
Remes
K
K
Kauppila
M
M
Rajamäki
A
A
Pelliniemi
T T
TT
Rantanen
V
V
Salmi
T
T
Carlsson
K
K
Hóglund
M
M
Oberg
G
G
Simonson
B
B
Salmi
T
T
D000328:Adult; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D017671:Platinum Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013548:Sweden; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D017671:Platinum Compounds; D003520:Cyclophosphamide