A trial comparing the same dose with an increasing dose of carboplatin for ovarian cancer (SCOTROC 4)
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This trial looked at increasing the dose of carboplatin to see if this would be helpful for treating ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer. This trial was supported by Cancer Research UK.
Doctors often treat ovarian cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. Carboplatin is the chemotherapy drug doctors most often use.
Most patients have the same dose of carboplatin throughout their course of treatment. This is called a ‘flat dose’. But some doctors give patients a higher dose each time they have it, if they didn’t have serious side effects from the dose before. This is called ‘intra patient dose escalation’. Nobody knew if increasing the dose was better than using the flat dose or not.
Increasing the dose is likely to cause more side effects. So it is important that patients do not have a higher dose if there is no extra benefit.
The aim of this trial was to compare the flat dose with an increasing dose of carboplatin for ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer to see which worked best.
Summary of results
The trial team found that increasing the dose of carboplatin was feasible and safe. But it was no better than keeping the dose the same.
This was an international phase 3 trial. Of the 964 women recruited, the researchers were able to look at the results of 956. Of these
- 477 had the flat dose of carboplatin
- 479 had the increasing dose of carboplatin
After an average follow up of just over 2 years, in both groups the average length of time it took for the cancer to get worse was a year.
For women who had the flat dose the average length of time they lived was just over 34 months. For women who had the increasing dose it was just over 30 months. The researchers say this could have happened by chance and so was not 
.
Overall about 10 out of every 100 women (10%) who had the increasing dose of carboplatin had more side effects such as feeling or being sick, infection and shortness of breath.
The trial team concluded that although increasing the dose of carboplatin was safe and feasible it didn’t work any better than the flat dose.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Professor Stan Kaye
Supported by
Cancer Research UK
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN)
Scottish Gynaecological Cancer Trials Group
Other information
This is Cancer Research UK trial number CRUK/04/010.
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
