Optimizing treatment of the partially platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer patient

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecological cancer deaths worldwide. Despite primary treatment with platinum-containing regimens, the majority of women will experience recurrent disease and subsequent death. Recurrent ovarian cancer remains a challenge for successful management, and the choice of second-line chemotherapy is complex due to the range of different factors that need to be considered. One of the main considerations is the platinum-free interval and, specifically, the optimal treatment for patients who are partially platinum-sensitive (platinum-free interval: 6-12 months). Data from the large, multicenter, randomized OVA-301 study have shown that combined trabectedin-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) significantly prolonged median overall survival compared with PLD alone (p = 0.0027) in 214 patients with partially platinum-sensitive advanced relapsed ovarian cancer. Furthermore, in OVA-301 patients with partially platinum-sensitive disease who received platinum therapy immediately after disease progression (n = 94), final median overall survival was improved by 9 months (p = 0.0153) in trabectedin-PLD patients compared with PLD alone. In addition to demonstrating a survival advantage, trabectedin-PLD may also allow the treatment of patients having not yet recovered from previous platinum toxicity. In summary, the data suggest the use of combined trabectedin-PLD as a second-line treatment option in patients with partially platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, followed by a third-line platinum-containing regimen. © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd.