question for alan

[CFK]

Hi Alan -
I saw your reply in another thread where you said that weekly Taxol can be effective. I received 6 doses every 3 weeks, finishing in Feb06. I then had Caelyx between April and Sept 07. I now have enlarged lymph nodes again and I am going back on weekly TaxolCarbo for 18 weeks. Can you let me know where I can get further info regarding the benefits of a weekly dose?

Thanks for any input

Cath.

[CFK]

Thanks Alan for taking the time to reply-very informative and helpful.

Best wishes, Cath

[alanpvegas]

Hi Cath,

Sure...actually the phenoxodiol trial gives weekly carbo instead of a placebo and in addition to the drug.!

Here was the article (I'll also repost it here as well):
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Doctors_Find_New_Way_to_Treat_Women_with_Ovarian_Cancer.asp

Even though it referes to cisplatinum, carboplatnim is widely accepted for this technique since cisplatinum has harsher side effects (thi sis what the phenoxodiol trial gives).

Anyways here is a study I found, but it was not specific to the ovarian cancer study they did that I mentioned above:
http://meeting.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/16_suppl/5137

Also here is another one you might be interested in, I posted it on the boards last year:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/198773


Now, here is that article from the ACS website:
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Doctors Find New Way to Treat Women with Ovarian Cancer
When the Cancer Has Returned, Drug Therapy Can Change

Article date: 2002/02/25  
  

Doctors in Holland have found good results in treating ovarian cancer in women whose cancer has come back after taking cisplatinum, a drug often given to treat this cancer.

Researchers from the Rotterdam Cancer Institute reported their findings in a recent issue of the British Journal of Cancer (Vol. 86, No. 1: 19-25).

Until now, doctors have been able to use cisplatinum, along with other drugs, to treat the spread of ovarian cancer. The drug works well for many patients, but for some women, the cancer returns.

When that happens, other drugs, either with or without cisplatinum, don’t work as well as they did the first time.

Small Change Makes a Big Difference
The doctors in this study used the same drug, cisplatinum, but changed how often and how much they gave the women. Many women responded well to this treatment.

Led by M.E.L. van der Burg, the doctors gave patients the drug weekly instead of monthly. They also gave it with another drug called etoposide. The new program included 98 women. All had stopped responding to the drug treatment they were on before, which included cisplatinum.

Some of the women had their cancer return more than 12 months after their first treatment had stopped. They were called “platinum sensitive” patients.

When the time between end of treatment and return of the cancer was between four and 12 months, patients were called “intermediate sensitive.”

When the time between the end of treatment and return of the cancer was less than four months, they were considered not to have any good effect from the prior treatment, and were “non-responders.”

Just by changing the schedule of the cisplatinum, and adding etoposide, the doctors got stunning results when they treated these women.

Almost all of the “sensitive” patients responded, and two out of three women in this group got rid of their cancer. The women who were “intermediate” and “non-responders” also had good responses, but not as many or as complete as the “sensitive” women.

Side Effects Considered Acceptable
Some women who have received cisplatinum in the past have had severe side effects. Unless this is the case, the authors say the best thing to do if ovarian cancer returns after prior treatment with cisplatinum is to retreat with the drug on the new schedule.

They also say that the side effects they found using their new program were acceptable, given the serious nature of the women’s disease and need for treatment.

If other studies confirm what this one found, it means doctors have a new treatment for women who until now have had few options.