Gemcitabine: current role and future options in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Epithelial ovarian cancer is the gynecological malignancy with the highest mortality. The standard therapeutic approach for patients with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer has been cytoreductive surgery followed by combination chemotherapy. Despite improvements in outcome via carboplatin/paclitaxel based chemotherapy, 30% of patients with ovarian cancer fail to respond to primary therapy; moreover, 55-75% of responders relapse within 1 or 2 years from the end of primary treatment and die of the disease within 5 years from their initial diagnosis. Gemcitabine has been shown to be active as a single agent and in combination with other drugs, including carboplatin and paclitaxel, in the treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. It is currently under evaluation in new combinations for initial therapy in ovarian cancer patients.
Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli, 8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Erika
E
Fruscella
Daniela
D
Gallo
Gabriella
G
Ferrandina
Giuseppe
G
D'Agostino
Giovanni
G
Scambia
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000093542:Gemcitabine