Future directions for the management of ovarian cancer

Although the results of treatment of ovarian cancer have improved over the past 20 years with the introduction of platinum and more recently taxoid-based chemotherapy, the majority of patients still die of this disease. Further improvements may be expected by the incorporation of other new agents in more imaginative schedules, perhaps including a sequential approach or neoadjuvant regimens. Other experimental approaches that show promise include intraperitoneal treatment, e.g. genetic therapy. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying clinical drug resistance will be important in the rational development of a number of exciting approaches aimed at overcoming this key obstacle.