Recurrent ovarian cancer patients usually do not have many effective treatment options and long term survival is low. Research continues to evaluate ways to improve outcomes for patients with this disease.
An article published in Gynecologic Oncology said that Thalomid (thalidomide) appears to be safe and may provide an effective treatment option for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Thalomid is a pill that helps block angiogenesis. Anti-angiogenesis medication inhibits blood vessel formation so that cancer growth is limited by the lack of blood supply to the tumor. The drug is also thought to cause activity that stimulates the immune system to help fight cancer cells.
Researchers from Stanford University recently conducted a clinical trial evaluating Thalomid in the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer. The trial included 17 patients who had received prior therapy. Three patients achieved an anticancer response, 18 percent and six patients achieved stabilization of their cancer, 35 percent. After one year of treatment, nearly 67 percent of patients who either achieved an anticancer response or disease stabilization had not experienced a progression of their disease.
1. Don't forget the other aspect of recurrent ovarian cancer treatment. Retrospective studies published in Gynecologic Oncology have determined that surgery to remove metastastic disease, in conjunction with other procedures to remove the primary diseased tissue in ovarian cancer patients, significantly increases survival rates. Researchers concluded that while health issues in some patients could complicate the success of surgery in general, surgeons should work to increase the rate of tumor reduction in appropriate cases.
Surgery is an integral part of the multimodality treatment of many cancers. Aggressive surgery greatly improves survival rates for patients with the most severe disease spread. In the case of ovarian cancer, proper patient selection will ensure the benefit of surgery for those who need it and avoid its morbidity and delay in the commencement of chemotherapy for those who are unlikely to benefit from it. While surgery is just one part of the treatment for advanced ovarian cancer, it is the one variable gynecologic oncologists treating this disease can most control.
For more information on treatment of ovarian cancer at Mayo Clinic, go to http://www.mayoclinic.org/ovarian-cancer/
Posted at 12:12PM on Dec 2nd 2006 by Gregory D. Pawelski