New and emerging intraperitoneal (IP) drugs for ovarian cancer treatment

Chemotherapy after surgical debulking represents an essential component of treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Three quarters of patients respond very well to initial treatment with platinum-containing drugs used either alone or in combination with a taxane, usually paclitaxel. With relapse rates exceeding 50% and median survival time of 2 years for patients after relapse, efforts are focused on treatment approaches to achieve and extend clinical complete remissions. These approaches include consolidation and maintenance therapy, intraperitoneal (IP) administration of cytotoxic agents, new combination chemotherapy regimens, development of new cytotoxic agents, and molecular-targeted therapies (beyond tumor DNA, the classical target of cytotoxic drugs). IP chemotherapy, which involves direct instillation of chemotherapy into the tumor site in the peritoneal cavity, is the focus of this review article. This article discusses studies involving new and emerging IP drugs for both first-line chemotherapy treatment of advanced ovarian cancer and recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.