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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd 2020; 80(12): 1195-1204
DOI: 10.1055/a-1128-0280
GebFra Science
Review/Übersicht

Treatment of Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Article in several languages: English | deutsch
Carlota Claussen
Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Klinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Lübeck, Germany
,
Achim Rody
Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Klinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Lübeck, Germany
,
Lars Hanker
Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Klinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Lübeck, Germany
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Abstract

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most common cause of death from gynecological tumors. Most patients with advanced ovarian cancer develop recurrence after concluding first-line therapy, making further lines of therapy necessary. The choice of therapy depends on various criteria such as tumor biology, the patientʼs general condition (ECOG), toxicity, previous chemotherapy, and response to chemotherapy. The platinum-free or treatment-free interval determines the potential response to repeat platinum-based therapy. If patients have late recurrence, i.e. > 6 months after the end of the last platinum-based therapy (i.e., they were previously platinum-sensitive), then they are usually considered suitable for another round of a platinum-based combination therapy. Patients who are not considered suitable for platinum-based chemotherapy are treated with a platinum-free regimen such as weekly paclitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), gemcitabine, or topotecan. Treatment for the patient subgroup which is considered suitable for platinum-based therapy but cannot receive carboplatin due to uncontrollable hypersensitivity reactions may consist of trabectedin and PLD. While the use of surgery to treat recurrence has long been a controversial issue, new findings from the DESKTOP III study of the AGO working group have drawn attention to this issue again, particularly for patients with a platinum-free interval of > 6 months and a positive AGO score. Clinical studies have also shown the efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors such as bevacizumab and the PARP inhibitors olaparib, niraparib and rucaparib. These drugs have substantially changed current treatment practice and expanded the range of available therapies. It is important to differentiate between purely maintenance therapy after completing CTX, continuous maintenance therapy during CTX, and the therapeutic use of these substances. The PARP inhibitors niraparib, olaparib and rucaparib have already been approved for use by the FDA and the EMA. The presence of a BRCA mutation is a predictive factor for a better response to PARP inhibitors.

Key words

recurrent ovarian cancer - ROC - surgery for recurrence - PARP inhibitor - anti-angiogenesis


Publication History

Received: 06 July 2020

Accepted after revision: 26 October 2020

Article published online:
03 December 2020

© 2020. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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