Comparison of Chemotherapy Regimens for Newly Diagnosed Ovarian Cancer
Posted: Wednesday, September 2, 2020
For the management of newly diagnosed ovarian cancer, routine use of weekly paclitaxel-containing regimens may not be beneficial, according to the findings of the ICON8 phase III study published in The Lancet Oncology. In addition, no differences between treatment groups in terms of global quality of life and no benefits in terms of progression-free survival were identified, according to Andrew R. Clamp, PhD, of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and colleagues.
“With no progression-free survival benefit and poorer quality of life, the ICON8 results do not support the general use of weekly treatment among a primarily European population,” the investigators commented.
From 2011 to 2014, a total of 1,566 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the study. All patients had stage IC to IV ovarian cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of between 0 and 2. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Patients in group 1 (n = 522) were intravenously administered AUC 5 or AUC 6 of carboplatin and 175 mg/m2 of paclitaxel every 3 weeks; patients in group 2 (n = 523) were given carboplatin AUC 5 or AUC 6 every 3 weeks and 80 mg/m2 of paclitaxel every week; and patients in group 3 (n = 521) received carboplatin AUC 2 and 80 mg/m2 of paclitaxel weekly. Patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OV28 questionnaires at various time points throughout the study.
No significant differences in global health scores were revealed across the three treatment groups at the 9-month check-in. However, comparison of paclitaxel administration showed lower global health scores for patients who received paclitaxel weekly compared with those who were administered paclitaxel every 3 weeks.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit thelancet.com.
