Survival following the documentation of platinum and taxane resistance in ovarian cancer: a single institution experience involving multiple phase 2 clinical trials.
OBJECTIVE
There are very limited data in the oncology literature regarding the survival of women with both platinum and taxane-refractory ovarian cancer.


METHODS
To examine this issue, we retrospectively reviewed the survival of patients treated on one (or more) of four previously reported nonrandomized single-agent phase 2 trials (topotecan, liposomal doxorubicin, gemcitabine, docetaxel), involving women with well-characterized platinum/taxane-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancers. Following their most recent treatment with both classes of agents, patients must have either not responded to therapy or experienced a treatment-free interval of <3 months before documented disease progression.


RESULTS
The median survival of the 111 patients (median age 61) included in this analysis was 6 months (range 1-37 months). Whereas 36 patients (32%) survived for <4 months, 30 patients (27%) lived for > or =12 months following documentation of resistance to both platinum and taxane therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
With currently available antineoplastic drug therapy of platinum/taxane-resistant ovarian cancer, overall survival is relatively short, but a substantial minority of patients can be anticipated to live for periods in excess of 1 year. It remains uncertain whether such unexpectedly prolonged survival results from a biological response to chemotherapy or simply reflects the natural history of disease in a subset of patients with this malignancy.
Markman
Maurie
M
Department of Hematology/Medical Oncology and Gynecology/Obstetrics, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. mmarkman@mdanderson.org
Webster
Kenneth
K
Zanotti
Kristine
K
Peterson
Gertrude
G
Kulp
Barbara
B
Belinson
Jerome
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005185:Fallopian Tube Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019772:Topotecan / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000077143:Docetaxel; C080625:taxane; D019772:Topotecan; D004317:Doxorubicin; D000093542:Gemcitabine