A study looking at paclitaxel and saracatinib for ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer that has come back (SaPPrOC)

This trial looked at 2 drugs called saracatinib (pronounced sah-rah-cat-in-ib) and paclitaxel (pronounced pak-lit-axe-el) for ovarian cancer. It was for women whose ovarian cancer had come back despite having treatment with a platinum drug. This trial was supported by Cancer Research UK.

The trial was for women with

• Ovarian cancer

• Fallopian tube cancer

• Primary peritoneal cancer

These cancers are all treated in the same way, so when we use the term ovarian cancer in this summary, we are referring to all 3.

Doctors usually treat ovarian cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. The chemotherapy drugs most commonly used are platinum drugs such as carboplatin. If the cancer gets worse or comes back within 6 months of finishing this type of treatment, it can be difficult to treat. So doctors are looking at new combinations of drugs to help this group of women.

In this trial, doctors looked at a drug called saracatinib alongside a chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel (Taxol). Saracatinib is a type of biological therapy. Paclitaxel is a standard chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer when platinum dugs have stopped working.

The aims of this trial were to find out

• If paclitaxel alongside saracatinib can control the cancer for longer

• If the period of time since the women had last had paclitaxel affects how well the treatment works

• More about the side effects