title: The contribution of catumaxomab in the treatment of malignant ascites in patients with ovarian cancer: a review of the literature.
abstract: The approval of the first specific drug catumaxomab for the treatment of malignant ascites is the subject of this review. This trifunctional antibody is known to kill EpCAM-positive tumor cells and therefore attacks the primary cause of malignant ascites formation in the peritoneal cavity. Until today catumaxomab is the only EpCam-targeted antibody approved by the European Medicines Agency. Ovarian cancer is caused by epithelial tumors cells which overexpress epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). The existing literature concerning the use of catumaxomab for the treatment of malignant ascites associated with ovarian cancer until today is reported in this article. It is very encouraging that different prospective studies from diverse scientific teams recently presented positive results concerning the efficacy and the safety of catumaxomab in the treatment of malignant ascites in patients with ovarian cancer. A case of a patient with ovarian cancer FIGO IIIc is also referred in this article. A complete remission and stable disease was found after 4 i.p. infusions of catumaxomab.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece. ptsikour@med.duth.gr
authors: Panagiotis
authors: P
authors: Tsikouras
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Tsagias
authors: Petros
authors: P
authors: Pinidis
authors: Roland
authors: R
authors: Csorba
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Vrachnis
authors: Alexandros
authors: A
authors: Dafopoulos
authors: Sophia
authors: S
authors: Bouchlariotou
authors: Anastasios
authors: A
authors: Liberis
authors: Alexander Tobias
authors: AT
authors: Teichmann
authors: Georg Friedrich
authors: GF
authors: von Tempelhoff
mesh_terms: D018033:Antibodies, Bispecific / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001201:Ascites / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018033:Antibodies, Bispecific; C522419:catumaxomab