Intense Chemotherapy Combo Shows Promise in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

A 3-week chemotherapy regimen with carboplatin plus a weekly dose of intense paclitaxel shows improvement in advanced ovarian cancer over the standard front-line treatment.

"This supports the use of weekly chemotherapy without bevacizumab in treating advanced ovarian cancer," said senior study author Bradley J. Monk, MD.

The standard treatment is administered ever 3 weeks using carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab, an antibody that inhibits the blood vessels from fueling cancer.

Researchers note that there are similar key components between intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IP) and the weekly intense dose of paclitaxel without the intense side effects that accompany IP treatments.

A study that evaluated the regimen was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by researchers at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.

Many enrolled patients were taken from cancer centers across the country, with numerous patients coming from St. Joseph’s Hospital. This research was funded by NRG Oncology.