A trial looking at standard treatment with or without paclitaxel for ovarian cancer that has come back (ICON 4)

The trial team found that standard treatment together with paclitaxel is a useful treatment for ovarian cancer that has come back after it was first treated.

The trial recruited 802 women with ovarian cancer that had come back at least 6 months after first chemotherapy treatment.

• Half had standard treatment with ‘platinum’ chemotherapy such as carboplatin or cisplatin
• Half had standard treatment and paclitaxel

The researchers analysed the results in 2003. They found the cancer went away or shrank in more women who had paclitaxel with standard treatment than in women who had standard treatment alone.

They also found that more women lived for longer than 2 years after treatment in the paclitaxel group (57%) than in the group who had standard treatment alone (50%).

Women in the paclitaxel group had more hair loss and problems with numbness or tingling in their hands or feet (peripheral neuropathy). But fewer problems with a drop in blood counts than the women in the standard treatment group. Overall, the researchers found no difference in quality of life between the 2 different treatment groups.

The researchers concluded that women whose ovarian cancer comes back more than 6 months after first treatment could benefit from further standard treatment and paclitaxel. This applies even if they had paclitaxel as part of their first treatment.

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 (peer reviewed ) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.