A trial of oxaliplatin and fluorouracil (5FU) for recurrent ovarian cancer

Cancer type:

Ovarian cancer

Status:

Results

Phase:

Phase 2

This trial looked at 2 chemotherapy drugs called oxaliplatin and 5 fluorouracil (5FU) for ovarian cancer that had come back (recurred) after treatment.

Doctors usually treat ovarian cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. But sometimes the cancer starts to grow again after it is first treated.

When this trial was done, doctors usually used 2 platinum chemotherapy drugs Open a glossary item to treat ovarian cancer that had come back. The drugs are called carboplatin and cisplatin. But if the cancer comes back a second time, it can be more difficult to treat.

This trial looked at a newer platinum chemotherapy drug called oxaliplatin in combination with fluorouracil (5FU) and a vitamin called folinic acid (Leucovorin). It recruited women whose cancer had already come back after treatment with cisplatin or carboplatin.

The aims of the trial were to find out

How well treatment works
More about the side effects

Summary of results

The trial team found that oxaliplatin and fluorouracil helped a few women with advanced ovarian cancer.

This was a small trial and recruited 27 women with advanced ovarian cancer that had come back after platinum chemotherapy.

Everybody had oxaliplatin and fluorouracil (5FU) chemotherapy. Most women had between 3 and 6 cycles of treatment.

The researchers analysed the results in 2004. They had the results for 25 women. They found that

The cancer went away in 3 women – doctors call this a ‘complete response’
The cancer slowed or stopped growing in 3 women – doctors call this a ‘partial response’
The cancer continued to grow in 19 women

The main side effects were a drop in blood cells, nerve damage, tiredness (fatigue), feeling or being sick and skin problems.

The researchers found that oxaliplatin and fluorouracil was safe to use and helped a few women whose ovarian cancer had come back after earlier platinum chemotherapy.

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