The use of chemotherapy as palliative treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancer

Despite the high objective response rate of ovarian cancer to several reported platinum-based combination chemotherapy regimens, the majority of patients with advanced disease ultimately require consideration of a salvage regimen delivered for palliation of symptoms. A number of therapeutic strategies have been used in such patients, including re-treatment with cisplatin or carboplatin, or the use of paclitaxel, ifosfamide, hexamethylmelamine, oral etoposide, 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin, or tamoxifen. Multiple factors and individual clinical features of the patient must be considered when selecting the most appropriate salvage therapy to be used in this clinical setting.