title: Advances in epithelial ovarian cancer therapy.
abstract: Advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma has a dismal prognosis. Notwithstanding the good initial response to primary therapy, 75% of the patients with advanced disease will develop recurrent disease, causing approximately 60-80% of patients to die within 5 years of initial diagnosis. The chemotherapy regimens of the past century are summarized and the focus is on current systemic therapies and future developments in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Recently various promising treatments emerged. Attempts to optimize chemotherapy have included weekly scheduling of paclitaxel and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Trials using angiogenesis inhibition and poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors show an advantage in progression-free survival while further overall survival data are awaited. Trabectedin, Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and chemo-immunotherapy may be become a promising therapy for the treatment of ovarian cancer. This Editorial encapsulates these new developments in ovarian cancer that are described extensively in the current theme issue Advances in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Therapy.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kroep
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D017239:Paclitaxel