Prolonged stabilization of progressive platinum-refractory ovarian cancer with paclitaxel: brief report

Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for ovarian cancer, with response rates of 70-80% and pathologic complete remissions of 20-25%. Salvage therapy with paclitaxel has an established role in patients with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer. In non-randomized trials, high doses have tended to be more effective. In this report, we describe two patients with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer who received paclitaxel and had long-term stabilization of their disease. One patient received 250 mg/m2 paclitaxel for 38 cycles; the other 135 mg/m2 for 30 cycles. Both patients received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support to prevent severe granulocytopenia; neither experienced cumulative hematopoietic nor neurologic toxicity. Their quality of life was good throughout the treatment.