Oral altretamine used as salvage therapy in recurrent ovarian cancer.
BACKGROUND
Altretamine has reported efficacy in the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer following platinum-based therapy. This report presents the cases of two long-term survivors with recurrent ovarian cancer given oral altretamine.


METHODS
Two patients diagnosed with stage IIIC ovarian cancer underwent optimal cytoreductive surgery. Both women were subsequently treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. One had persistent cancer documented 2 months post therapy, while the other was disease-free for 22 months before recurring. Both received altretamine in a salvage setting. Each of these women achieved a prolonged response to third-line altretamine therapy, and one of whom was disease-free for 4 years and the other remains disease-free over 7 years following initiation of salvage therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Outpatient-administered oral altretamine can provide a prolonged disease-free interval with minimal toxicity.
Chan
John K
JK
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5317, USA.
Loizzi
Vera
V
Manetta
Alberto
A
Berman
Michael L
ML
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D006585:Altretamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016879:Salvage Therapy
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D006585:Altretamine