Cyclophosphamide "metronomic" chemotherapy for palliative treatment of a young patient with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
BACKGROUND
Evaluation of the clinical efficacy and tolerance of metronomic chemotherapy as salvage therapy in a young patient with advanced, platinum resistant, ovarian carcinoma and bad performance status.


METHODS
We tried palliative chemotherapy with daily low dose oral cyclophosphamide with a patient suffering from stage IIIC ovarian cancer that responded to daily cyclophosphamide (CTX) after no response to chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin as first line and progression after second line with topotecan. The progression-free survival time on daily low dose oral cyclophosphamide treatment was 65 months without side effects. She was well during the chemotherapy and lived a normal working and social life.


CONCLUSIONS
We think that use of low dose of oral CTX should be investigated further as a strategy against tumour progression after standard chemotherapy in patients who are platinum resistant with poor performance status.
Samaritani
Riccardo
R
Division of Medical Oncology, San Carlo IDI Sanità Hospital, Rome, Italy. r.samaritani@idi.it <r.samaritani@idi.it>
Corrado
Giacomo
G
Vizza
Enrico
E
Sbiroli
Carlo
C
D000328:Adult; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D003125:Colostomy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018284:Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D007813:Laparotomy; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010052:Ovariectomy; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010166:Palliative Care; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D019772:Topotecan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014815:Vitamins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D019772:Topotecan; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel