Four-year analysis of platinum and anthracycline combination for ovarian cancer

Eighty-nine patients with advanced ovarian cancer have been treated with a combination of cis-platinum (50 mg/m2) + an anthracycline (adriamycin 50 mg/m2 in 26 patients, or epirubicin 60 mg/m2 in 63 patients). The treatment was repeated every 28 days for a maximum of 12 cycles. Seventy-nine were evaluable for response. CR was achieved in 19 (24%) patients (2 clinical and 17 after a second-look evaluation) and a PR in 31 (39%) for an estimated median duration of 43 and 10 months, respectively. Nine patients who achieved CR and 2 out of 10 non-evaluable patients were alive without any evidence of disease after a median follow-up of 36 months (range 29-53). The treatment was generally well tolerated. The multivariate actuarial 4-year analysis by Cox's proportional hazards model shows that residual tumor and performance status have an independent prognostic value on survival. The combination of CP + an anthracycline (and in particular epirubicin) is an effective and generally well tolerated treatment for ovarian cancer. Only patients with initial minimal residual disease and achieving CR are candidates for long-term survival.