[Review of effectiveness of chemotherapy with gemcitabine in ovarian cancer].

Abstract

Ovarian cancers are known to have the highest mortality rate among the gynaecological tumours. Despite the effectiveness of the paclitaxel-carboplatin combination that is usually recommended nowadays the disease does recur, many times causing finally the death of the patient. This phenomenon explains the continual efforts to find further new and potent treatment forms in this disease. From the late 1990 years on the nucleoside analogue gemcitabine has been used against ovarian cancer. Its administration in Hungary was approved in 2005. Publications report on 16.2 +/- 5.6% and 53.9 +/- 20.5% complete response on average with mono- and polychemotherapy using gemcitabine in ovarian cancer. Some chemotherapeutic combinations with gemcitabine for the first line treatment of ovarian cancers are also known and they were found to be superior to the multi-line treatments (81.6 +/- 17.9% complete remission on average with the former). These treatments are usually accompanied by haematological toxicity. Severe G3-4 neutropenia was observed in 45.1 +/- 22.6%, and thrombocytopenia in 24.9 +/- 23.1% of the patients. The first publications on this treatment form are promising, however, a final policy in this matter can only be assumed after finishing the evaluation of the comprehensive, randomised studies (GOG-0182-ICON5) in progress.

• Authors: Ottó Lehoczky
• Journal: Orvosi hetilap (Orv Hetil) Vol. 146 Issue 46 Pg. 2351-7 (Nov 13 2005) ISSN: 0030-6002 [Print] Hungary
• Vernacular Title: A petefészekrákokban alkalmazott gemcitabinkezelés eredményessége az irodalmi adatok tükrében.
• PMID: 16370247 (Publication Type: English Abstract, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
• Deoxycytidine
• Gemcitabine

Topics

• Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Deoxycytidine (adverse effects, analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Female
• Humans
• Neutropenia (chemically induced)
• Ovarian Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Thrombocytopenia (chemically induced)
• Treatment Outcome
• Gemcitabine