Women with progressive ovarian cancer may fare better if chemotherapy is dripped directly into their abdomens and also introduced into their bloodstream through traditional IV, a new study finds. Clinical trial results show the combination of abdominal and IV chemotherapy can slow the development of ovarian cancer better than IV chemo by itself in women who already have had surgery to take out all or almost all of their cancer.
Close to 77 percent of women who got combination therapy had more than a nine-month delay in the development of their cancer, compared with slightly less than 58 percent of women who got IV therapy alone.
On average overall survival also was longer, 59 months versus 38 months, respectively. Though, the researchers said there was no significant difference statistically.
Progression-free survival was similar between the two groups, amounting to at least slightly 11 months with IV chemotherapy compared with 12.5 months from IV/abdominal chemotherapy, the findings displayed.
However, the statistics support using IV/abdominal chemotherapy in certain patients, according to Dr. Don Dizon, director of medical oncology for the women's oncology program at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. He was not connected to the study.
Women taking this path first receive traditional chemotherapy to reduce the size of their cancer, and then go through surgery to have as much of their cancer removed as possible, Dizon explained.
A port is then positioned into their bellies to permit chemotherapy to drip directly into their abdominal cavities, he said. They also receive chemotherapy through IV.
Dizon said he thought this represents a very valid option for this population, who are receiving basic chemotherapy before surgery and then have successful surgery. He thinks you are required to mention this option and these data when discussing therapy with those patients.
The researchers will continue to track the patients in this study in anticipation of evaluating the best potential recipients of this combination therapy, said presenting researcher Dr. Helen Mackay who is divisional head of medical oncology and hematology at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Center located in Toronto.
She said that if they can identify the long-term survivors, they hope this will aid them better predict who truly benefits from this approach.
According to the American Cancer Society, around 22,280 women are expected to get a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2016, and around 14,240 women will die from the disease. Ovarian tumor is the fifth most common cause of cancer death amidst women.
The new clinical trial involved 200 women who first went through chemo to reduce their cancer, followed by surgery to delete the cancer. Eventually, they were randomly assigned to receive either IV/abdominal chemotherapy or IV chemotherapy.
Researchers were set up to present the discovery Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's yearly meeting, in Chicago.
The therapeutic option delivers chemotherapy directly to tumor cells, without having to drift its way via the bloodstream, noted Dr. Linus Chuang, a wonderful professor of gynecology, obstetrics and reproductive science with the School of Medicine, Icahn at Mount Sinai, located in New York City.
Chuang pointed out that for 9 out of 10 ovarian cancer patients, their cancer is confined to their abdomen when they are first diagnosed.
He said that delivering chemo directly into the abdomen may enhance efficacy by increasing the cytotoxic agent concentration directly against the cancer in the abdominal cavity.
The researchers also noted this method permits delivery of higher doses of chemotherapy to the cancer, while sparing other parts of the body from adverse effects.
The rate of severe side effects was somewhat lower among women who got the combo therapy, around 16 percent compared to 23 percent. Though, there was no significant difference statistically.
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