
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
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 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
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 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 () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Kenneth O’Byrne
Sanofi
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.