Hexamethylmelamine chemotherapy for persistent or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer

The purpose of this study was to determine the activity and toxicity of hexamethylmelamine chemotherapy in patients with persistent or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Forty-nine women received hexamethylmelamine 100 to 150 mg/day for 14 days, repeated at 4-week intervals. All patients had previously received at least one chemotherapy regimen, and 46 (94%) had received cisplatin. Among 25 patients with clinically measurable disease there were three complete and two partial responses, for an objective response rate of 20%. The mean progression-free interval for responders was 38.6 months versus 9.6 months for nonresponders or patients with nonmeasurable disease (p less than 0.001). Thirteen patients are alive, eight with no clinical evidence for disease. Only four patients discontinued therapy because of toxic reactions. Hexamethylmelamine appears to be a well-tolerated drug with activity against ovarian cancer previously treated with cisplatin.