[Second-line chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer]

Although TJ therapy is a standard modality for the initial treatment of ovarian cancer, 60% or more of the patients require second-line chemotherapy. It is difficult to obtain a complete cure for recurrent ovarian cancer, and every attending physician is therefore required to be familiar with chemotherapy and palliative medicine. When patients are classified as having sensitive recurrent or resistant recurrent tumors, repeated chemotherapy, mainly with TJ in combination with platinum therapy for sensitive recurrent tumors, is recommended. Because a response rate of 60% or more and survival for 20 months or more can be expected, therapy that actively aims at prolongation of survival is recommended for the sensitive recurrent tumors. On the other hand, some drug that has no cross resistance with TJ therapy should be selected for resistant tumors. However, the response rate is only about 12-32%, and the survival duration is about 8 months, requiring more careful measures as palliative medicine.