[Second line treatments of cancers of the ovary]

Ovarian adenocarcinomas are among the most chemosensitive tumors. Platinum derivatives are the most efficient agents. The role of the second-line therapy is either to treat the relapse (salvage therapy), or to prevent it (consolidation therapy). The most active agents in the salvage setting are new molecules: taxoids, vinorelbin, topotecan. Classical agents such as hexamethylmelamine or epirubicin are still worth of use. Reintroduction of platinum derivatives (oxaliplatin) and associations combining new and classical cytostatic agents are still on study. Consolidation treatment may use platinum-based intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and most promising results have been achieved with high-dose alkylating chemotherapy followed by haematopoietic stem-cell reinjection.