Dose Dense Chemo - weekly carboplatin as well as taxol?

[jerickso]

My wife is currently receiving dose dense chemo for stage 3C ovarian cancer (optimally debulked). The regiment is every week taxol with carboplatin every 3 weeks. Is anyone familiar with having the carboplatin every week (at reduced amount, of course) along with the taxol? I have heard arguments that this is more effective, however, my wife's gyn onc does not recommend - I am meeting with Friday and will ask why - just would like some info if others are familiar with it.
Thanks

[jerickso]

Thanks for info!

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi there
dose dense taxol is thought, theoretically to have some more antiangiogenic properties in addition to being cytotoxic

this was initially evaluated in women with recurrence
here is a link

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653750/?tool=pmcentrez

I have pasted the abstract below.
dose dense has never been compared head to ehad with what we would call our standard which is every 3 weekly IV carbo and taxol nor has it been compared with intraperitioneal chemo
however, it is considered a very reasonable choice
best wishes
There is increasing evidence of the efficacy of dose-dense therapy in the management of platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer. We report our experience of extended weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel in this population group. Twenty patients with platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer received carboplatin AUC 3 and paclitaxel 70mgm−2 on day 1, 8, 15 q 4 weekly for six planned cycles. Toxicity was assessed using Common Toxicity Criteria. Response was evaluated using radiological and CA125 criteria. Median age was 61 years (range 40–74 years). Median number of prior therapies is three (range 1–8). Response rate was 60% by radiological criteria (RECIST) and 76% by CA125 assessment. Grade 3 toxicities consisted of neutropenia (29% of patients) and anaemia (5%). One patient experienced grade 4 neutropenia. No grade 3/4 thombocytopaenia was reported. Fatigue, nausea and peripheral neuropathy were the most frequent non-hematological side effects. Median progression-free survival was 7.9 months and overall survival was 13.3 months. The dynamics of response to dose-dense therapy were as rapid as with front-line therapy within the same patient. This dose-dense regimen can be extended to at least 18 weekly cycles over 6 months and is well tolerated with high response rates in heavily pre-treated, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. It forms a highly active and tolerable cytotoxic scaffold to which molecular-targeted therapies can be added in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.