Carboplatin/etoposide as first-line chemotherapy in advanced ovarian carcinoma: a pilot study

In a pilot study, 18 patients with advanced ovarian cancer were evaluated for tolerance and response to a combination treatment with a fixed dose of carboplatin (350 mg/m2 given i.v. on day 1) and escalated doses of etoposide (70-130 mg/m2 daily given i.v. on days 1-3) as first-line chemotherapy. The maximum tolerated dose of etoposide was 130 mg/m2 when given i.v. on days 1-3 in combination with 350 mg/m2 carboplatin given i.v. every 4 weeks. At these dose levels, bone marrow toxicity was manageable and did not appear to be cumulative. In all, 12 objective responses, including 9 complete responses (CRs) and 3 partial responses (PRs), were achieved in 18 patients; 6 of the 9 CRs were confirmed as pathological CRs by second-look surgery.